What If?
by Master Telanis
Summary: What if some events in FF7 had turned out differently?
1. Prologue: In the Beginning

Okay, so there's very little new to be seen, here. In fact, it seems to be just the old story rehashed and altered a whole bunch. Bingo, buddy. That's EXACTLY what it is. What we have, here, is a quick recap and lead- in to the real story.  
  
Let me explain. A friend and I got to talking about FF7 (naturally), and what we liked and didn't like about it. "They shouldn't have done this," and "They should have done that," were the basic run of the conversation. Before long, we had some very good ideas as to how we might actually rewrite the story of FF7. You'll find some rather unusual changes, and some that you can see coming a good mile off. In any case, them's the basics of it.  
  
Now for the disclaimer: Cloud, Aeris, Tifa, Sephiroth (booNAAAAH!), and all other associated characters, places, and cheesy concepts "are belong to Square." Quite frankly, aside from some key points, which any FF7 fan would recognize, the plot itself belongs to that fine fine company who would never sue the likes of me or mine, because they're so very nice, and I have no money. Really. *look around*  
  
Also, I would like to say that anything I was inaccurate about that has to do with the layout of places, or the exact lines, I don't honestly care. I'm not obsessed, or anything. If you are, that's your business. Go and wank off to your Tifa poster, or whatever. No, I'm just kidding. Read this, since my friend and I worked so very hard on it. THEN go wank off. Go on. You have my permission.  
  
You are entering the What If zone. . .  
  
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In the Beginning  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
"Cell-code: Wutai. Begin Log, Open Entry. Year 3250, Day 178."  
  
"So this's where it ends, for me. I don't know just how much time I have left, how long until I just. . . bleed out, here on the floor. Well, let me tell you, I'm more than a little pissed at the current situation. It's not the fact that I'm dying that makes me angry. In truth, I've been prepared for the eventuality my entire life. No, it's the very basic fact that the same man who did this to me is now loose somewhere within the temple. Sephiroth.  
  
"He's loose, and it looks as though he's won, unless someone can stop him. Avalanche, I think, is our last hope. Rufus Shinra talks big, but he's just as big an idiot as I've been. Yeah, it's Avalanche or nothing, I guess. I almost hate to admit it, but they've become such major players in all of this, and I honestly believe that they have a chance, no matter how small.  
  
"Cloud Strife, Aeris Gainsborough, Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockheart, Reeve, and the rest. . . it all started with Barret, though. It started with Avalanche.  
  
"They began as a simple thorn in the President's side, putting up anti-Shinra flyers, warnings against the overuse of Mako energy. Then, they crossed over into the big-leagues with an admittedly unexpected assault on Mako Reactor One in Midgar. For this, Barret hired a young man named Cloud Strife, who, we have come to understand, has some sort of past connection with Sephiroth. Barret and Cloud blew the reactor, which, of course, irked Shinra to no end. Then, they made a mistake. The very next day, they tried to take Reactor Five. They succeeded, but, due to some inordinately devious planning on the President's part, it almost cost them their lives.  
  
"President Shinra had underestimated them, however, and they escaped the trap he'd set. According to Reno, Cloud then hooked up with Aeris, and became her personal bodyguard. Reno, along with a few troops, attempted to apprehend the pair, but Cloud proved to be surprisingly resourceful, and they eluded him.  
  
"Aeris. . . She's just one of the regrets I have. I wish I had ignored her presence, all those years ago, and left her in peace. Instead, as per my employer's wishes, I turned her over to Professor Hojo for study. She escaped, though, and I was glad. Cloud had better take good care of her.  
  
"In any case, after that, Avalanche kind of dropped from Shinra's radar for a day or so. During that time, there were reports of a disturbance in Don Corneo's mansion, but they went unconfirmed, as the Don mysteriously left town the same night. President Shinra didn't read anything into this, but the general consensus among Reno, Rude, and myself was that he'd spilled his guts to someone from Avalanche about Shinra's plans to destroy the Sector Seven slums, and had feared retribution. He'd been right to do so. Reno and I, we were hopping mad.  
  
"I think I should explain something, here. It takes quite a lot to gain the respect of a Turk. I guess it's because of all the SOLDIERs we've helped to create, and all of the extraordinary people we've met, and, yes, corrupted. Also, being a Turk simply gives one a feeling of being "above it all," I think, and that probably contributes to it, as well. In any case, we had both chalked all of Avalanche's successes up to dumb luck, up until that point, which, I imagine, was probably the truth. You don't pull off the kind of stunts they had without Lady Luck on your side. We were full of contempt, and more than a little angry that they'd gotten so far on luck alone.  
  
"So, while I was a little unhappy about the innocent lives which would be lost through the destruction of the pillar, I was all for it. Crush the bastards. Drop the sky on 'em. When they showed up at the pillar itself, I, having recently recaptured Aeris, was livid. Reno, having the luxury of being on the ground, attacked them. Three members of Avalanche fell, and fell hard. I was ecstatic. Barret was well on his way to becoming the fourth when Cloud and Tifa joined the fight. They fought Reno back, and, to this day, he still insists that the "sun got in his eyes." Yeah, sure, man. All that sun under the Sector Seven plate. As he backed off, I had the pilot of the chopper I was currently riding fly in closer. I did my best to unnerve Cloud, Tifa and Barret, but I think I came off as a raving lunatic. I was trying too hard. The reason was simple, really.  
  
"I'd had a sudden taste of what I'd been doing my damnedest to overlook up until that point: these guys were tough, at least in battle. This was something Reno refused to see, and Rude, being Rude, simply saw whatever it was his employers wanted him to see. This doesn't come from any weak-mindedness on his part, but he's got this mindset which dictates that it's simplest for all concerned to just agree with Shinra.  
  
"Well, the remaining members of Avalanche escaped with barely a moment to spare, and the slums were crushed, pointlessly.  
  
"Not long after, the trio mounted an attack on the Shinra building, itself. Their purpose was not to destroy it, though. Instead, they were there to find Aeris. Find her they did, and Aeris, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa almost made it out again, with another specimen from Hojo's lab, a cat of some sort, but Rude and I stopped them at the elevators. I considered letting them go. I still wish I had. We took them up to see the President.  
  
"Shinra, the stupid jerk, pretty much told them everything he'd had planned - I've seen movies where the over-confident villain loses because of this inability to keep his trap shut - and then sent them to the holding cells on the sixty-seventh floor. He told them about how he thought Aeris was the key to some mystical "Promised Land" he kept yammering on about. Then, he sent them to await execution. I had really come to not like this guy, by the way.  
  
"Then, he called Reno, Rude, and myself to his office, and told us we were to go out and train a new Turk. Elena. We were to take her to Sector Six, and teach her about all the stuff we do. You know, all about flunkying. So we did. We got back, and the President was dead. We'd been gone maybe a day. Suddenly, Rufus, the former President's son, was in charge, and he was exactly like his father. It turns out that a man named Sephiroth, who'd been a SOLDIER, not too long ago, and had been presumed dead, had turned up, slaughtered everyone on the upper levels, and made off with the Jenova project, which, by the way, I'd never heard of until that day. In the aftermath of Sephiroth's attack, Cloud and the rest had escaped from Midgar altogether.  
  
"To make a long story a little shorter, there was no sign of Avalanche for several days. Meanwhile, we Turks, including Elena, were sent on Sephiroth's trail. I'll say one thing for Rufus, no matter his motives and methods, he had his priorities straight. Sephy was big and bad, even before he went nuts, or so I've heard. He had to be stopped.  
  
"It was sheer coincidence that we met up with Cloud and his friends in the Mythril mines, which had been marked as a part of Sephiroth's route in a very obvious manner. Between the mines and Midgar, there is a marshy area, which is home to some very large, and very dangerous, snakes. They are called Midgar Zoloms. One of them had been impaled on a tree. We pretty much assumed that Sephiroth wanted us to follow him. Damned if I know why. After a brief conference with Rufus, via cell phone, we took the bait. It was near the other side of the mountains that we met up with Avalanche. Elena had half a mind to fight them, but I knew they were small potatoes, now. They didn't matter. What mattered was finding Sephiroth, and regaining Jenova. I also intended to find out just what he was up to. I'm willing to bet a lot of money that that was Reno's plan, too.  
  
"After Elena let slip about where Sephiroth was headed, Rufus assumed that Avalanche would turn up in Junon, so he planned a visit there, hoping to capture the group himself. How they got past him is beyond me, but the next any of us heard of him, they had fought Jenova, and won - they went up on a notch on the Respectometer for that one, let me tell you - on the very ship that Rufus was riding, and he'd never known until much later.  
  
"In Costa del Sol, they again avoided being seen, and, the next any of us heard of them, they'd popped up in the Gold Saucer. This is the one and only time I've seen Rufus actually do anything that resembled intelligent. He'd had an executive planted there years earlier, masquerading as a clown and fortune-teller named Cait Sith. Cait Sith was, in actuality, a robot controlled by Reeve, head of Urban Development in Midgar. He managed to get Cloud to bring him along on their. . . well, I guess it's amounted to a mission, now, hasn't it? He was a little hesitant to do so, which is when I began to wonder just how trustworthy he was, but, under direct orders from Rufus, he finally agreed. He has been acting as an informant for us since then. It's from him that we found out about the newcomer to Avalanche. Yuffie Kisaragi, although none of us knew just where they'd picked her up. Their numbers had increased by one, if you didn't count "Cait Sith."  
  
"In the Saucer, there was an incident involving a man with a gun-arm. Heidegger, my direct superior, was hopeful that Barret would take out Cloud and the rest for us. Heidegger always has been a fool. Even I could see that Barret, while a little unstable, would never murder anyone in cold- blood. Not on purpose, anyway. Well, the man who DID slaughter all those people, Dyne, by name, died, and Cloud and company went on their merry way.  
  
"Well, not long after, Reno and Rude had a run-in with them in the jungle surrounding the town of Gongaga. Reno and Rude were beaten, and retreated. Naturally. Not a few minutes later, I arrived with Scarlet, indulging her in a rather strange job she'd been given. She was supposed to find some really big, huge materia for some sort of super-weapon. The concept of Shinra having possession of anything they'd call a "super- weapon" was chilling to me. I'm pretty sure I was never meant to know about that, though. Lucky thing, I guess, that Scarlet can no more keep her trap shut than Elena or Rufus's late pop. Heidegger hadn't told me, or, presumably, any of the other Turks about it, and that disturbed me a little. Shinra had begun keeping secrets from us. Why, though? Even now, it's still something I can't figure out.  
  
"While Scarlet and I were flitting around in our little helicopter, Avalanche was apparently trotting the globe, because the next I heard of them, they'd found Sephiroth. . . And then lost him again. In Nibelheim, they'd found him in the basement laboratory of the Shinra mansion, where they'd also picked up an unusual fellow - a man of very few words - who goes by the name Vincent. Odd, very odd. Apparently has the ability to shape-change, and is a dead-shot with a gun. Any kind of gun. Has a very severe case of pink-eye, too. From there, they followed Sephy through the caves of Mt. Nibel. Unfortunately, they were unable to catch up to him, due to a slight altercation that came in the form of one of Nibel's meaner denizens.  
  
"It was during this update, courtesy of Reeve, himself - Heidegger and the rest had taken to keeping us on a strict need-to-know system, which consisted of not telling us a damned thing besides what was already blatantly obvious - that I, and, by way of me, the rest of the Turks, became aware that Rufus knew where Sephiroth was headed, and planned to go after him himself. Now, I may not like the guy, but what he was planning was suicide. Elena was all for going after Sephy ourselves, and, for the first time, I was inclined to agree with her. When I did, she puffed up even more, if that's possible. Poor girl. Reno agreed whole-heartedly, but I think it was because he's wanted a crack at Sephy since the beginning. Rude didn't agree in the least, though. He felt that it wasn't our problem, and that we should just follow orders. Keep on Cloud's trail. This would have been the smart thing to do, but I reminded him that our orders also covered keeping after Sephiroth, and, until we were told otherwise, those orders still stood. I'm well-aware that Heidegger, Rufus, and the rest had probably just forgotten to take us off Sephy-Watch, but they can go take a flying ^#&^ at a rolling doughnut.  
  
"Rude, though, being the rule-monger he was, phoned in to Heidegger, and actually got him to give us the order. He actually told us what we were trying to retrieve from Sephiroth's new destination, and that we were to make sure he didn't get to it. How Baldy accomplished this is just another mystery in a long string of mysteries, to me, but who am I to question? I should have questioned. I didn't, though, simply because I was too anxious to get back in on the action to think through what was happening: we'd just gotten permission from our boss to go into direct conflict with Sephiroth, completely unprepared. It was every bit as stupid as what Rufus meant to do.  
  
"I can't even chalk it up to stupidity, in light of what else Heidegger told us. He told us about the Keystone which would be necessary to enter. He didn't know where it was, however. I checked with Reeve, whom I'd pretty much kept in contact with for several days. What can I say? The guy's honest. I told him the truth, really. . . I wanted to get the Keystone before either Rufus or Cloud did. As a Turk, I was obligated to take care of my employer, no matter how much of a putz he might be. Cloud was a different matter. I'd come to like that group, but I still thought that, if they went up against Sephiroth as things were, they'd die painfully. Cloud would die, and so would the rest. Reeve agreed with me - he'd taken a liking to them, himself - and assured me that I'd be the person he called, if and when they got ahold of the Keystone. Until then, there wasn't much we could do, besides let Reno, Rude, and Elena cool their heels a bit, while I zipped all over the goddamn place with Scarlet, looking for a type of materia, which, as far as I knew, didn't even exist. I strongly suspect that she was just using it as an excuse to be around me. I'd shudder if I wasn't getting so weak.  
  
"A few days later, I got a message from Reeve. Luckily, it was at a time when Scarlet had to make a quick stop at the Shinra building. She was out of the chopper, when it came through on my cell. Cloud and his friends had found the Keystone. They were at the Gold Saucer. I was glad enough to hear the full story. . . after the chopper was back in the air, leaving that &#^&^, Scarlet, back at headquarters.  
  
"Apparently, Dio, the owner of the Saucer, had recently acquired it, and then he gave it to Cloud, who, through some minor miracle, had managed to fight his way through eight powerful monsters in something called Battle Square. Reeve, as Cait Sith, had been off on his own, shortly after, and had, in a maneuver that was amazing in its simplicity, cut the power to the tram which carried people to and from Corel, leaving them stranded in the Saucer for the night. All he had to do was wait for an opportunity to present itself, and he'd have the Keystone, ready to be passed on. I was to meet him outside the Chocobo Races. He'd toss the Keystone up to me, and, within moments, there would be no sign of any of what had just transpired. Amazing. That's the way it should have happened, anyway.  
  
"As I neared the Saucer, my phone rang. I picked up, and Reeve's voice said, "Things have gone a little off." He explained that Cait Sith was currently being chased through the Gold Saucer by Cloud and Aeris, and that there was no way to get the stone to me without their knowledge. I told him it didn't matter in the least, so long as he got the damned thing to me. I was sorry to lose my only connection to that group, but this was far more important. When I arrived, Cait Sith was there, with the stone, and Cloud and Aeris running toward him. I had the pilot swoop in low (I hope I didn't get the poor guy fired over this, or worse. . .) and Cait's cave moogle heaved the stone up to me. I caught it, barely, but it was close. Even as I was struggling to hold onto it, I was yelling at the pilot to get us the hell out of there. He did so quite well. I called up Reno immediately, and told him I was coming to pick him, Rude, and Elena up, and we were going to the temple TONIGHT.  
  
"That was earlier. . . By now, it must be pretty-near dawn outside, although I couldn't say for sure. I've dialed up Reeve a couple times, now, but he hasn't picked up. I can only hope it's because he's either busy, or just left his cell somewhere. If Shinra were to find out about half the stuff he's told me, they would likely have him killed.  
  
"I guess I haven't really explained why I'm bleeding to death at the entrance to the temple, have I? Well, suffice it to say, Sephiroth showed up, not too far behind us, and I was no match for him. Reno, Rude, and Elena were lucky enough not to be around when it happened. I had no idea he'd become that powerful. . . I guess I'm getting my just desserts for all the shitty things I've done for Shinra. I can only hope that Cloud and Aeris are able to stop him, before he does something worse. What could be worse than killing innocents, you ask?  
  
"Well, that thing that Heidegger told us we were to keep Sephiroth from getting. . . it's the Meteor materia. It's jet-black, and it can summon a gigantic meteor to destroy the Planet. It's somewhere deep within the Temple of the Ancients, and, now, so is Sephiroth. C'mon, you guys, hurry. Stop him before it's too late. . .  
  
"Cell-code: Wutai. End Log."  
  
* * *  
  
Aeris stopped at the archway preceding the Temple's steps, and everyone else followed suit. Cid piped up from the back, saying, "Y'mean we gotta go in there? That's *#^@*! stupid! I ain't goin' in!"  
  
Tifa turned to look at him, and, seeing that he looked a little pale, began to make her way toward the back. When she'd made it to the Captain, she asked in a low voice, "Are you claustrophobic?"  
  
"Nah," he mumbled, "I'm just used to the air. Underground just ain't what I'm good for."  
  
She smiled gently. "I thought it was something like that." Without waiting for another response, she turned back to face the others, and called up to Cloud, "Cid thinks it'd be a good idea for him to stay out here. You know, keep an eye out for Shinra's people."  
  
Cloud paused, then nodded, and said, "Barret, Cait Sith, Red, you guys stay out here, too. I'll keep the PHS on. You guys got your receivers?"  
  
"I sure do, Cloud!" Cait replied enthusiastically.  
  
Nanaki nodded, but said nothing.  
  
Barret just grumbled, which everyone else took to be an affirmative. Tifa didn't blame him. He was being left outside with the two Shinra employees. Well, one employee, and one ex-employee. But she did trust the pair, and hoped this would help the veteran Avalanche member to do the same.  
  
Cloud called, "Everyone else ready to go?" Hearing no protest of the idea, he turned and asked Aeris, "Ready?"  
  
"Definitely, Cloud." She looked up at him with those huge eyes of hers, and Tifa thought she could cheerfully have throttled the girl. She also wondered how Aeris could seem to be "looking up" at him, when she was the taller of the two, but she did. When they began to ascend the steps, she considered running up beside the pair, but decided against it. This left her in the back, behind Vincent and Yuffie.  
  
The materia hunter and the ex-Turk contrasted each other so completely it was amazing. Yuffie was full of youthful energy, while Vincent didn't appear to care what they did. The original odd couple.  
  
And Aeris seemed torn between the connection she had with the Temple of the Ancients, and staring at Cloud. And Cloud stared back. And Tifa ground her teeth.  
  
At the top, a figure in a black cloak appeared, and prostrated himself on the top step, next to the door. Cloud tried to talk to it, but it simply disappeared. Sephiroth was near, then.  
  
Aeris was the first through the door at the top, and Tifa heard her gasp. Cloud was through in a flash, followed by Vincent and Yuffie and, finally, Tifa, herself.  
  
The scene which greeted them wasn't terrible, but neither was it promising. Aeris was stooped over a slumped figure beside an altar in the center of the room. In the darkness, it took her a moment to identify the man as Tseng of the Turks, but when she did, she considered going over and socking him one. Then it dawned on her that someone already had. His formerly white shirt was now quite red, and Aeris was shaking him. He seemed to be dead, already.  
  
Suddenly, his head rose, and he said, "You made it." It was unclear just who he was talking to, but Cloud answered.  
  
"Of course."  
  
Aeris asked, "What happened to you?" She sounded quite worried.  
  
Tseng laughed bitterly. "What happened? I'll tell you what happened. Sephiroth happened. We were told by Rufus that Sephiroth was just looking for the Promised Land. He's not. I've been had." He struggled to his feet, leaning hard on the altar, but his legs gave out and he slid back to the floor. He groaned. "What he's looking for is in this temple, somewhere. The black materia. He's looking for the black materia, and, when he finds it, I think we're all in trouble."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Tifa.  
  
"There's no time. Check it out for yourself." He reached into his pocket, and flipped something to Cloud. "Put that on the altar." It was the Keystone.  
  
Cloud, with only a moment's hesitation, moved to do so, but Aeris said, "Wait," and he froze. The flower-girl took a small, green sphere from her pocket, and closed her eyes. A green light began to flow from the materia, enveloping her, and then Tseng. There was a sound like shattering glass, and the light dissipated, showering what looked like green sparks. Tifa realized that Aeris had used Cure on him. She had saved her own enemy from death.  
  
Tseng reached down to his stomach, through a hole in his shirt, then pulled it back out, and looked up at Aeris. He then asked the question which Tifa had, herself, been thinking. "Why?"  
  
"I've known you since I was a little girl, Tseng. You didn't honestly think I'd just let you die this way, did you?" She smiled.  
  
"Truthfully? I wasn't sure. I've done some pretty bad things in the past. I'm the reason Shinra got hold of you in the first place."  
  
"You're also one of the few who tried to take care of me when I was there. I haven't forgotten that."  
  
He didn't answer. He just shrugged. Tifa thought she saw him blush, but it was too dark in there to really tell.  
  
There were a few moments of silence, which Cloud finally broke. He cleared his throat, and said, "Okay, so, if Rufus screwed you over, what're you gonna do?"  
  
"Report back."  
  
Tifa just stared, openmouthed. Yuffie said, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Shinra tried to get you killed!"  
  
"I know that, but there's nothing else I can do."  
  
Cloud said, "You could disappear."  
  
Vincent said, "Tseng may be right, Cloud. Shinra specializes in knowing the unknowable. They'd find him, no matter what he did."  
  
"Just like they'll find Corneo," the Turk added.  
  
"Well, I hope they do find him. He deserves whatever he gets." Tifa's voice was cold.  
  
"Amen to that," Tseng said. Then, he asked, "Hey, weren't there more of you? Where are Wallace and R- uh, Cait Sith? And the cat?"  
  
"Outside, with Cid."  
  
". . .Cid? You don't mean Captain Cid, do you?" Tseng looked like he already knew the answer. He finally got up off the floor.  
  
"The very same."  
  
"Damn. I'm gonna have to report this to Heidegger, you know that, right?"  
  
"I imagine he already knows. Rufus sure does." Tifa smiled a little.  
  
Tseng lightly pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do I even want to know?"  
  
"We almost ran the Son of Shinra over with the Tiny Bronco."  
  
"Ugh. He's going to be pissed."  
  
"Yeah. Another reason why you should probably think about getting out of Shinra," Yuffie said.  
  
"Can't do it. I told you that."  
  
Cloud stared at Tseng, and through him, for a long moment. "Then I guess we're still enemies." He was juggling the Keystone back and forth in his hands.  
  
"Hey, only if the boss says so explicitly. Now, I think I said there was no time. Get your asses moving." Tseng grinned, then headed for the door.  
  
Tifa had to ask. "Why don't you come with us, into the Temple? We could use your help, you know. . ."  
  
He turned to look at her. Then, he looked at the other faces in the room, eyes moving from one to the next. Finally, they came to rest on her, again. "You bunch are the fighters. Sephiroth walked all over me. I'm pulling my guys out of here, and we're going back to headquarters." With that, he turned, and left.  
  
Aeris said, "Do you think we should let the others know he's not here to cause trouble?"  
  
Cloud stared after the Turk for a moment, then shook his head. He patted the PHS which was clipped to his belt, and said, "I think they already know." He turned back to the altar, and everyone crowded around him. He placed the Keystone on the altar, and the Temple's antechamber faded out.  
  
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So whatdja think? This isn't really much more than a recap, up to the point where things start to deviate, obviously. . . And what of Tseng? Well, he's cool, that's what. Plus, it seemed just a little dumb that these people wouldn't just heal him, or something. Anyway, enough explainage.  
  
Constructive comments or praise? Send them to deschain5@hotmail.com.  
  
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Until you read Temple of the Ancients, which should already be up, and, to quote at least two of my friends, ja!  
  
PS: I would like to apologize for the excessive number of paragraph breaks. It's the only way I could make this thing readable, and I think it can probably be attributed to the extremely low-end computer I own. I have affectionately come to call it the Toaster. Please forgive it. 


	2. Chapter 1: The Temple of Ancients

Okay. Disclaimer time, again. Yes, it's quite likely that I screwed up the layout of the Temple. Don't sue me. You can't, anyway. Haw haw. Unless, of course, you can. In which case, don't sue me. In any case, enjoy!  
  
Oh, right, Cloud and all other characters, and all locations depicted herein are the sole property of Square. They are being used, and, in some cases, altered, without the creator's consent or knowledge. I laugh. I also say again: Please don't sue me. I'm a nice guy. Really!  
  
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The Temple of the Ancients  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
Cloud's first thought was that the inside of the Temple looked like one of those optical illusions you could buy on postcards in Sector Six. Stairways, platforms, and doorways sprawled as far as the eye could see. It was pretty unnerving. Vines climbed several of the greyish stone walls, lending the Temple the appearance of a ruin. To some degree, he supposed it was.  
  
Vincent turned around, cape swirling, red eyes casting about. "No exit," he said.  
  
"No turning back," replied Cloud. "How'd we get back outside?"  
  
Aeris, looking around, said, "I think the Temple's entrance and its inner sanctum are in two completely different places. It helps prevent just anyone from coming and going as they please."  
  
Tifa said, "I guess Cid could've come along, after all."  
  
Cloud looked at her. "What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." She smiled.  
  
"Right, then. Aeris, how the hell do we navigate this place, anyway?" Cloud demanded. He looked at the others. "And where did Yuffie get to?"  
  
"Guys, I'm down here!" called Yuffie. Cloud looked down off the edge of their current walkway - completely without a railing, he noted with some discomfort - and saw the young ninja standing far below, waving up at them. She seemed unhurt, which Cloud was glad to see.  
  
"Yuffie, what are you DOING down there?" Tifa called.  
  
"I jumped down!" She kicked a chest that was sitting next to her, and it popped open. "I thought this was some kind of materia!" She looked at it, shaking her head. "Y'know, before I met all of you, I'd never come across a shiny treasure chest. . ." She reached into the chest, and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of boxing glove. "Such a useful thing," she muttered, and tossed it away. "I'll meet up with you all later!"  
  
"Yuffie!" Vincent called. "You aren't going off on your own!" He jumped from the pathway, landing lightly beside her.  
  
Cloud shook his head. "Man. . . Okay, you two, find somewhere to wait! We'll catch up!" But they were already walking away. He hoped they'd heard him, and somehow doubted it. He looked at Aeris and Tifa. He asked Aeris, "Just how quickly can you get us through this Temple?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'll try to make it fast."  
  
"Then let's go."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, guys, I think we're supposed to let him go on his way," Cait Sith said, obviously meaning Tseng.  
  
Barret eyed him. "You would say that, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Well, I don't deny my associations, but they would have taken him out right away, if Cloud wanted him dead, right?"  
  
"'E's got ya there, Barret," mumbled Cid, butting his cigarette out on a tree-trunk. He quickly took the package from behind his ear and shook out a new one.  
  
"Dammit, Cid, I thought y'was on our side!"  
  
"Calm down. I'm just saying that the furball's got a point. . ."  
  
The leader of Avalanche didn't answer. He just watched the steps leading up to the Temple's entrance, and, more specifically, the suited man descending them. He appeared to have great self-possession, right then, but Reeve, who knew Tseng a little better than most, thought he looked quite hesitant. He didn't give any real outward sign of this, however. He merely waved to the small group clustered near where the small suspension bridge gave onto the grass. Cait Sith was the only one who waved back.  
  
"Heya, Tseng!"  
  
". . .Cait. Barret." He regarded Cid for a moment, then smiled a little. "Captain."  
  
"Long time, no see, #@^*!" Cid growled back.  
  
Tseng looked honestly surprised at Cid's reaction. Reeve said, "Don't mind him. He has a hate-on for most Shinra-related subjects and people. As do the rest." Cait Sith turned to look at Cid and Barret both, and said, "It might interest you to know that the Turks are here without the President's say-so."  
  
"Oh yeah? Whyzzat?"  
  
Tseng answered, "To stop Sephiroth. I'd hoped to stop him before you bunch arrived, but things didn't go quite as I'd wanted. Obviously."  
  
"Look," snarled Barret, "if you expect us to b'lieve a bunch o' crap about pr'tectin' us, y'can ferget it!"  
  
Tseng flushed Reeve knew it was because Barret had hit the nail on the head. The Turk's face twisted in a scowl. "On the contrary," he replied in an icy voice, "our responsibility is to our employer. We got word that Rufus Shinra had been waiting for us to tell him that Sephiroth was here, so that he could come here personally. He wanted to stop Sephiroth himself. Part of our job is protecting the President, even from his own stupid mistakes. . . We'd meant to let you idiots do the job for us, but we also follow the orders of our higher-ups." He gestured to Cait, "Keeping your sorry asses safe was his idea." Reeve had no clue how to respond to this. When Tseng had suggested it, he'd been all for it, granted, but it had still been Tseng's idea. He knew it, Tseng knew it, and it was entirely possible that others knew it, as well.  
  
Barret was looking at him with a mixture of surprise and anger, and Cid regarded Tseng with half-lidded eyes. The hand which held his home- made spear twitched, just slightly, and the weapon shuddered. Tseng stared back at Cid, not moving.  
  
Finally, the Turk shifted his gaze to Barret, then back to Cid. He said, "Just let me pull the rest of my team out of there, then I'll be on my way." He retrieved his cell-phone from a coat pocket, and began to dial Reno up.  
  
Nanaki remained silent throughout, and all but unnoticed, which was just fine with him. He didn't want to get into any unnecessary fights. They would just waste energy and time, both of which were commodities which they could ill-afford. Being overlooked was definitely for him, in this case.  
  
* * *  
  
Yuffie and Vincent watched the boulders roll to the end of the corridor, where they apparently slipped out of existence. This part of the Temple was quite strange. There were no visible walls, but something lay along the sides, and it kept anything from passing beyond the edges.  
  
This eccentricity allowed them to see the whole passage, and that the boulders at the other end seemed to come out of nowhere. Vincent noted with only minor interest that there was a small offshoot halfway along the passageway which contained what looked like a pool. In front of it was a small, yellow marble, easily recognizable as a command materia, of some sort.  
  
"I am really beginning to dislike this place," commented Vincent.  
  
Yuffie sighed theatrically. "Ditto." Then, she stepped forward, and began to examine the boulders as they rolled by. Vincent saw that each boulder was not completely round. At a point on each was a U-shaped indent. He wondered just where it was the boulders disappeared to when they reached the end, and an idea began to take form in his mind. Without another word, he sprinted forward.  
  
At the same time, Yuffie did the same thing. Surprised, and aware that there only appeared to be room for one person in each indent, Vincent slowed to a stop, watching her.  
  
The ninja ran into the path of the next boulder, and ducked down, allowing the indent to pass directly over her head. Then, as soon as the rock was past, she ran forward, rolling into the next indent. She barely made it through, before it was closed off by the other side of the boulder. She continued this way until she made it to the other end of the corridor. There was a loud click, and she looked down in surprise. Vincent just watched from his end, wondering why in the world he'd opted to keep an eye on Yuffie, of all people. Tifa would have been much better suited to this job. He shook his head.  
  
The boulders, luckily for Yuffie, stopped coming. The last few made their way to the end, and the hallway was still. Vincent looked at the young ninja. She waved him down, grinning cheerily. "It was a raised plate!" she called, in answer to the question on his face. "Come on!" She ran to the offshoot. He strode over, and watched as she bent to scoop up the materia. He watched carefully as it emitted a yellow glow.  
  
He knew well-enough what was happening. Their ability to use magic came from the Lifestream, and some of the power they drew from the Lifestream would flow into any materia they came into contact with, giving it its power. However, the power, once capacity was reached, would begin to flow back through the person. The Lifestream, being a sentient force, would know everything there was to know about a given materia, and that information would become known to the wielder. All of this happened instantaneously.  
  
The glow dimmed slightly, and he asked, "What kind is it?"  
  
"Morph!" She grinned excitedly and placed it in a small pouch on her belt.  
  
Vincent just looked at the pouch. We'll never see that one again. . . "Ready to go?"  
  
"Just a minute." She walked over to the pool, leaning over it, slightly. She shook her head, and muttered, "What's with the water?"  
  
"I have no idea. These ancients were very different from us. It could have been a communication device or else just someone's swimming pool."  
  
"Right-o, then." She turned and looked about to sprint away, but then she stopped and just stared. He turned to look at what had caught his attention, and saw, at the other end of the hallway, a bearded little man with a pointed hat and purple robe. He couldn't see the face.  
  
Keeping one arm poised over his pistol, Vincent began to slowly walk out to where the little man was. He sensed, more than heard, Yuffie following cautiously behind him. He raised his claw in a clumsy hail. The little man said nothing. He walked forward a ways, and then stopped, maybe three or four feet in front of the strange little fellow. "Little" was indeed the right word, as the robed figure stood only as far as his waist at best. He spoke to the man. "Hello, Sir. We are a pair of travelers who are looking for someone. Have you seen a man with a very long sword, and grey hair?" He was aware that he sounded like a simpleton, but he was unsure just who or what this little figure was, or even if they spoke the same language.  
  
It made some unintelligible mumbling noises, and opened one side of the cloak - Vincent noticed with some disquiet that there was nothing but blackness to be seen within. He reached inside, and pulled out a healing potion in a small vial. He tossed it, and, with impeccable reflexes and almost no thought, Vincent caught it, still watching the little figure. It turned and began to waddle off.  
  
"Hey!" Yuffie yelled from beside him, but the creature ignored her and kept walking.  
  
Looking down at the healing potion, Vincent said, "At least it seems to be friendly." He placed the vial in one of the hidden pockets in his cape, and stalked after, with Yuffie trailing after.  
  
* * *  
  
Within moments of Vincent and Yuffie's departure, Aeris had seen a small, purple-robed man at the other end of the walkway they were on. Cloud knew; he'd seen him, too. The flower girl had taken off like a shot, following him. Cloud and Tifa had glanced at each other, and followed at full-speed. She knew as well as he did that telling Aeris to slow down would be useless. She was completely hyped by whatever force she could sense here that the rest of them could not.  
  
Aeris, following the man, turned and mounted a very short set of steps, and ran to the end of the adjoining platform. Cloud followed, with Tifa close behind. They pursued Aeris past another flight of steps, and then around a corner, leading to a stairway, this time hooking downward to another platform. This place is a maze, thought Cloud, disgruntled.  
  
At the foot of the steps, Aeris disappeared through a doorway, and Cloud, puffing madly, wishing he'd left the extremely heavy Buster Sword behind, sprinted hard, fearful of losing her. He could hear Tifa's boots thudding hard on the stone, but paid her no mind. If they lost Aeris now, there was no guarantee that they'd find her again. The passage which lay behind through the doorway was extremely short, and made a turn directly into a drop-off. Cloud failed to notice it in time, and flew off, hitting the stone surface below - thankfully not far below - in a face-plant. He groaned in pain, lifting himself up, trying to get to his feet.  
  
There was a rustle of Tifa climbing down from the passageway. As he had toppled forward, he'd glimpsed the vines which crawled up from the ground to the opening, and hearing Tifa climb down them was only a rude reminder of his own mistake. He was trying hard to keep his knees long enough to reach his feet, and Tifa stuck her hand out. He grunted, grasping it, and allowed her to help him to his feet. He wiped a trickle blood from his nose on the back of his left glove, and looked about him frantically. There was no sign of Aeris or the man.  
  
He looked at Tifa, and said, "Where the hell did they go?" He spoke a little louder than he'd meant to, and Tifa recoiled. He was a little sorry, but too worried for apologies. She looked at him for a moment, opened her mouth as though to say something, then shut it again. Looking away from him, she pointed at a stairway almost directly ahead, leading downward, alongside a wall that was almost entirely covered with those strange vines which seemed to spring directly from the rock, and he took off without another thought. He was pretty sure, right then, that she followed, but he was almost panicky, and didn't look back.  
  
"Did she go up the vines, Teef?" he asked, looking back at her. Almost distantly, she nodded, and he immediately began making his way up the wall, with a speed that some might have called superhuman. Adrenaline was coursing through him, enhanced by the small amounts of Mako energy within him. He made the top fairly quickly, and wiped a little more blood from his nose. He tried the doorway directly in front of him, but hit something with plenty of give, but as implacable as any wall. He turned and ran along the ledge, taking the corner at a speed which almost sent him toppling over the edge, to an area where he likely wouldn't have gotten up again. He neither realized this, nor would he have cared, if he had understood.  
  
Tifa watched him go, tears coursing down her face. He'd looked so frantic. She had stopped existing for him, the moment he'd lost sight of Aeris. Even so, she could have done nothing but help him along. It'd become obvious to her early on that Cloud loved Aeris, but, even so. . . Knowing that she'd lost him made it no easier to walk away. When her vision had cleared sufficiently, she began to make her way up the wall.  
  
Reaching the top, she stopped to look down. It was quite a drop. If Cloud had fallen, he would more than likely have broken his neck. And she would have been free. But she didn't want to be free. She loved him more than life itself, even if he didn't love her back. She had ever since they'd been kids, growing up in the mountain community of Nibelheim. She began to walk.  
  
She rounded the corner, and saw a stairway leading over a rather long drop, up to another area. She wasn't very comfortable with heights. She really hadn't been since the Nibelheim expedition seven years prior, when the suspension bridge had collapsed in the mountains. Even so, she would cross it. Sephiroth had to be stopped, and Cloud couldn't do it alone. Despite what he might think, he needed her. If not as more than a friend, then so be it. She walked across the grey stone chasm, upward, ever upward, until she reached the other side. Then, she stopped, and looked at the only two exits from the level she was on.  
  
There was a doorway to her left, which, from what she'd seen in their mad dash, led to a stairway, down to where Yuffie had jumped. Directly in front of her, there was another vine-covered wall. She knew this was the way Cloud and Aeris had gone. She hadn't seen it, but, just the same, she knew. She had a connection to that boy that was stronger than the other five senses. She knew that was the way he'd gone, and he knew that he'd be back. She took off through the doorway. She was still crying a little, and she knew she couldn't face him that way. She needed time.  
  
* * *  
  
The stairwell which led out of the boulder room ended on a small platform. Beyond it was a large, circular pit. Directly in the center was a bluish platform, suspended in the air by some unseen force. From it extended three arms, one of which was moving.  
  
Vincent looked up from this and saw that, all the way around this room, were doors. Each had a combination of letters above it. There was one which said "I". The one they were standing in said "X". There was another with a "V" on it. The others all had combinations of these letters on them. "XII," said one. "IV," proclaimed another. Yuffie came around him to see what he was looking at, and whistled appreciatively. "This is a really nifty place the ancients built, isn't it, Vince?"  
  
"Yes. It's very impressive," he replied absently. He was still considering the doorways. Something about the letters was grabbing at him, although just what it was he couldn't say. Looking at them in order, they were just a mishmash of I's, V's, and X's. If he looked at them in order, but seperately, he was seeing XII, I, II, III, IIII, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX (He really had to lean outward to see that one, right beside their own, risking a fall into, as far as he knew, a bottomless pit.), X, XI. Something about it. . .  
  
"What's with all the letters?" inquired Yuffie, squinting, as though this might help her to comprehend this room.  
  
"A number system." He replied. He wasn't quite sure just what kind it was, but, with a little time, he might be able to figure it out.  
  
That was when the moving arm crossed the XII, and one of the other arms moved. If Vincent were a man to grin, he would have, right then. "It's a clock."  
  
"Clock?"  
  
"Yes. That's exactly what it is. Or, rather, what it's designed to look like."  
  
"Okay, I see, now. So, what are we supposed to do?" she sounded as puzzled as he was. He had no idea.  
  
"We don't have time to solve their little puzzle. We just try each door until we come across something that looks like black materia."  
  
Nodding, Yuffie jumped from their platform to the next one along the wall. This was an extremely short jump, and, under normal circumstances, she would have made it easily. This place was far from normal. Vincent saw her flatten against something, and realized it was another invisible wall, like the kind which ran all the way around the boulder room. She bounced off, and fell between the platforms. Reacting instantly, he dove to catch her, but he missed. She plummeted into the darkness below, and he dove after. It was a long fall, and he was certain she would not survive it.  
  
When he reached bottom, he shifted his weight into a forward roll in order to keep from injuring himself. An ordinary human still wouldn't have walked away from it, but he was far from ordinary. Professor Hojo had made sure of that.  
  
Getting to his feet, he looked around quickly. To his surprise, Yuffie was nowhere in sight. He took stock of his surroundings, and immediately fell silent. On a small raised area, against one of the walls, was a chest, with a lit torch on either side. How those torches could be lit was unknown to him, unless someone had expected them to be there. But the only one who could have was Sephiroth, and he certainly wouldn't want to help. The chest and the torches weren't what drew the majority of his attention, however. Above it all was a mural which appeared to depict a large reptile of some kind, but even that was secondary, compared to what dominated the room.  
  
On either side of this display, fast asleep, were two dragons. The exact type escaped him, but, then, in this place, there was a lot that escaped him. Keeping a wary eye on them, he scanned the rest of the room. On the side opposite the chest, there was a doorway. Through it, he could see the maze-like temple's outer area. He was tempted to just leave through there, and find his bearings again, but he had to find out what had happened to Yuffie, first.  
  
He looked up, wondering if she'd grabbed the wall at some point. Such a maneuver would have been very painful, but so would have hitting the ground at the speed she would have gathered, and she would be more likely to survive losing some skin from her hands. Had she done such a thing, though, it would have been near-impossible to see her from where he was. Due to the incredible strangeness of the temple, light didn't seem to reach between down here and up there, as though there were a wall, or a black hole.  
  
He was about to conduct a quiet search of the room when he heard someone yell, "Whoa!" and there was a loud thump. This was promptly followed by a snuffle, and then a roar. He whirled around to look at the two dragons, and one was already on its feet, shaking itself vigorously, while the other was just rousing from its sleep. Sitting atop the shaking dragon, like some kind of weird bull-rider, was Yuffie, who apparently had landed directly on it. She grabbed the two horns which protruded from either side of its head, and held on tight, yelling, "Whoa, Nellie!"  
  
The other was just waking up, still, looking confusedly around the room. Quickly, he drew the Quicksilver, and ran up to it. He pressed the muzzle to its eye, and pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled, but he held it firmly, and backed away in a hurry. It screeched in pain, gouting blood from one eye socket, and lifted off the floor with its improbably small wings. Vincent stepped quickly, trying to keep on its now largely increased blind-side, but it somehow followed him with its one good eye, and snapped at him.  
  
He did a backflip, and avoided its jaws, which, instead, clamped onto his cape, yanking it. It began to fly around the room, dragging him with it. He banged against the walls, sparks flying up from his claw as it scraped against stone. This, apparently, was how the dragons took care of most visitors.  
  
He grabbed at the wall, planting the talons directly into the stone mural, next to the reptile picture's foreleg, and succeeded only in tearing a sizeable chunk out of it. Clenching his teeth, he lifted his feet up, and began running along the wall. Then, he suddenly stopped, and the speed of the dragon threw his legs backward with terrible force. He lent his own strength to this movement, and threw himself up onto its neck. His cape was still held in its mouth, and this forced his face hard against the dragon's scaly skin. Hoping against hope, he brought his claw up, still holding the rock in it, and shoved it in the general direction of the dragon's now empty eyesocket. His aim was perfect.  
  
He planted the rock in the hole, and the dragon released his cape, screaming in pain once again. He jumped from its back, and landed not-so- gracefully on the floor. The dragon, forelegs pawing at its face, landed, and started to claw at the stone which was causing it such pain. It looked pitifully like a dog scratching at a mosquito on its face. He raised the gun, which, with one bullet spent, still had eleven more to go. He fired all eleven into the creature's head, first making sure to take out the other eye, and then firing the last ten at the temple. The sixth finally broke through the dragon's thick skull, and the last four pulverized its brain. Its head bucked back with these last.  
  
The dragon fell sideways, and lay twitching on the ground.  
  
"Yay! Woooo! That was awesome, Vince!"  
  
He looked over at where Yuffie was jumping up and down excitedly, cheering. She had actually surprised him, and that was an idea that, while he was by no means a stranger to it, he was not accustomed to. He saw the other dragon behind it, exactly where it had previously slept, slumped backward and staring blankly like some twisted idol. Its throat had been neatly slashed.  
  
"How long ago did you kill that thing?"  
  
"Pretty quickly, actually. Did an assassin job on it!" She slid a finger across her own neck to mime this. Vincent nodded.  
  
"So then you just stood there and watched me fight for my life?"  
  
"Pssh! You were doin' fine, Vince!" She saw the chest, and said, "Hey! Spoils of war!" She ran over to it. Vincent watched, incredulous, and carefully schooling his face to impassivity. She opened it, and reached inside. She pulled out what looked like a baseball bat. Looking unimpressed, Yuffie hefted it, above her head, holding it to the light, and scanning it. She seemed to be looking for some kind of special markings, or maybe materia.  
  
"Well, looks like you can keep the spoils of this war," he said, snickering inwardly. "The only thing special about that is it seems to have a nail in it."  
  
"A bat with a nail in it. How very, very useful," Yuffie said, disgustedly. "Certainly worth fighting dragons for, I'll tell you. Look, it doesn't even have anywhere to put materia!" Finally, she tossed it aside. Looking at him, with a grumpy expression on her face, she said, "Let's just go, alright?"  
  
He hit the release on the Quicksilver, and the clip dropped out. He reached into his coat and pulled out another, quickly slamming it home. "Okay, and I think, this time, we'll have to play by their rules."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, just move it, Turk-boy."  
  
* * *  
  
As Yuffie and Vincent were recovering from slaying dragons, and trying to find their way back to the clock pit, Cloud and Aeris were in a rather comfortable room. The occupant was a tiny man whom Aeris had identified as an ancient. The man did not seem to be able to talk much at all, and what came out was garbled and babyish. This, seemingly, was because they'd been there for such a long time that spoken language had become unnecessary, and that they were among the first to come in a long while. This was all information that Aeris had intuited, which led Cloud to believe that her connection with this place was extremely strong. Unfortunately, the man did not seem to know where Sephiroth was. Cloud quickly took his leave, and Aeris went with him.  
  
"So are we supposed to just wander around this place until we either run into Sephiroth or find the black materia?" he asked.  
  
"So it would seem," replied Aeris, "but I think it shouldn't take too long, really. The Temple of the Ancients is a lot more linear than it appears to you and me."  
  
"They tellin' you that, too?"  
  
"You mean the ancients? Yes."  
  
They reached the foot of the stairway which lay directly outside the ancient's room. They began the climb, and Aeris, after several moments, added, "Most of this is an illusion. All the area we can see but not touch. . . it's only there because we allow it to be."  
  
"So, then, I can just think most of this away?"  
  
"No, not really. We allow it to be this way because we have no real choice. The consciousness of the ancients - the pureblood ancients - resides in this place, and it influences our way of thinking. It makes us see all of this because this is what it wants us to want to see. Their minds are just stronger than ours."  
  
"Wow. That's reassuring."  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
"Uh, oh, yeah, 'course I do" He hoped she couldn't read him as well as she could the temple, although he suspected she could.  
  
They reached the top, and began the descent to the area below, where, unbeknownst to either of them, Tifa had struck out on her own, not twenty minutes before. They climbed in silence, and, when they got to the bottom, Cloud asked, "So which way do we go?"  
  
She pointed at the doorway Tifa had taken, and said, "That way." Cloud, however, knew this even as she said it. He could see through it to the ledge beyond, and there was something very dead. He ran forward, drawing the Buster. Aeris followed, unsheathing her Guard Stick.  
  
He stopped in front of it, and saw at a glance what had happened to it. It had been crushed mercilessly. It looked like it had once been creature that was half man and half bull, but now it was just a bloody pulp. His gaze crawled out ahead of him, and saw several unidentifiable masses just like it, sprawling down the stairway, and looping around to an area he recognized as where Yuffie had jumped to. It continued all the way back, and he moved to the stairs.  
  
He set the Buster aside, and lay down on a step, hanging his head over the edge to see. The trail of carnage disappeared through a doorway. He got up, unconsciously grinding his teeth, and said, "Sephiroth."  
  
Aeris nodded and the pair of them began sprinting down the stairs, following the string that would lead them to their goal, one way or another.  
  
* * *  
  
Vincent and Yuffie had also followed the trail of corpses, which had, in fact, stopped right outside the boulder room. No monsters, here. They'd run the length of the hallway, and stepped out onto platform X, only to find Tifa, standing on the blue platform in the middle.  
  
Yuffie said, "Tifa! Gosh, am I glad to see you!" She looked around. "Where are Cloud and Aeris?"  
  
Tifa didn't look at them. She just shrugged, and ran along one of the clock's arms, disappearing through a door. It was door VI.  
  
He looked at Yuffie, who asked, "Should we follow her?" If he hadn't known better, he would have said Yuffie looked worried.  
  
Without answering - no answer was necessary - he ran up the arm which reached from the blue platform to door X, Yuffie close behind. He then checked to see where the arm he'd come to realize was a second hand was, and then ran along the arm to VI.  
  
The doorway opened on a rather strange room. It was a cliff, with three doors: the door they'd just emerged from, a pair of double-doors flanked by two pillars and elevated slightly, accessible by a few steps, and another door beside that, very much like the one from which they'd come. He glimpsed the little man with the purple robe, disappearing through this last. Tifa, who was standing directly in front of the door with the pillars, didn't pay any attention to him, aside from a single, unreadable glance.  
  
Instead, she tried to open the doors. They were locked. She screamed in anger, and began punching and kicking them. Up until this moment, Vincent had assumed it had been Sephiroth who had slaughtered all those creatures so horribly. Now, he understood that Sephiroth wasn't the only person capable of wholesale slaughter. Tifa certainly looked angry enough.  
  
Still battering the doors, she shrieked, "Damn him! Damn her! Both of them can go to hell!" Then, she shuddered slightly, the pounding slackened, and she leaned against the doors, sliding slowly to a crouching position. Both fists were bleeding. Vincent didn't know just what might have sparked this, but he knew one thing for sure. Something was driving Tifa insane.  
  
He looked at Yuffie, who was now looking quite pale, and said, "Stay with her." He didn't look away until the young ninja nodded slightly. When she did, he took off through the doorway after the little man. He had no recollection of descending or turning, but, when he emerged, he was on another cliff, this one with four doors. He walked out to the edge, and looked down. There was nothing but darkness below. He looked up, and could see another ledge, with four more doors. Beyond that, he thought he saw the tops of the pillars, on the level after. He was completely unsurprised. He'd already seen how the laws of time and space were treated, here.  
  
He looked at the other doors on his level, and saw the little man disappear through the one directly adjacent to his. He also saw a chest. Hoping it would be the key to the doors up above, he ran over, and opened it. It was not a key. It was just a pair of work gloves. They looked brand new, although he could find neither a brand name, nor a size tag on them. He was about to toss them away in annoyance when he remembered how Tifa's hands had been bleeding, and the gloves shredded by her pounding. He put the work gloves in a pocket, and turned to look at the doorways, again.  
  
From what he'd already seen, he guessed that the little man would emerge from a completely random doorway. That was going to make things difficult for him. He picked the closest doorway, and went through. He emerged on the second level of this ridiculous puzzle. The little man, he saw, came out of the door that had been right next to the one he'd gone in. Vincent bristled. This was getting irritating.  
  
Vincent watched as the man went back in the door he'd just come out of, and almost grinned, despite himself. Now he had the little goblin. He jumped down to the bottom level, and waited at the door he assumed the man would come out of. This was, technically, a safe assumption, since this was the door he thought connected to it. He was wrong. He hissed softly in annoyance as the man came out on the second level again. The man paused for a moment to see where Vincent was, and that pause cost him the game.  
  
Vincent decided that he was done messing around. He used his incredible physical strength to throw himself up onto the second level. The creature never saw it coming, and was bowled over by the ex-Turk.  
  
Getting up, he clutched the creature's robe in his claw, and leaned forward into his face - which, he noticed, also seemed to just not be there - and said, "Open the door, please." Although there was no way to be sure, the little creature seemed to smile, not unkindly, and he raised his hand to the double doors up above. With a rumble, they opened. Without looking up, Vincent said, "Thank-you very much." He placed the man on the ground again. He jumped again to get to the upper level. He really had no urge to play musical doors some more while trying to get up there.  
  
Tifa and Yuffie were standing, side-by-side, looking through. What they saw was amazing. What they could see of the walls was covered from floor to ceiling with pictures, apparently showing some kind of event, though just what it was escaped him.  
  
"Tifa. . ." he began, and then, seeing the mildly dazed expression on the young woman's face killed whatever he was going to say, and overwhelmed it with anger at Cloud. He said, "Here, you might want some new gloves. Those took quite a beating." He held out the work gloves.  
  
Tifa looked at them for a long moment. Then, she nodded and took them. She said, "I'm sorry for how I acted. I just. . . I had a problem with Cloud, earlier." Vincent already understood. He'd noticed some time ago that Tifa had feelings for Cloud, although she would never admit it. He guessed that Cloud had made it quite clear, in his usual, untactful way, that he didn't love her back. Just how the former SOLDIER had done this, he didn't know, and didn't really want to know.  
  
A familiar voice said, "There you guys-!" and it cut off, as Vincent, Yuffie, and Tifa all turned to look at Cloud, standing next to Aeris. "Tifa. . ." Cloud said, and something flickered across his face. Vincent hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He didn't want to think that Cloud, their leader, had actually forgotten all about Tifa until now.  
  
Aeris, not noticing what passed silently among the others - this temple had her pretty far gone - said, "Check out this neat staff we found!" She whirled an ornate kind of staff around her head, and this caught Vincent's attention because of something interesting that happened as she did. As she moved, it was as though the mind couldn't follow the movement. There was a shadow image following every movement, mimicking it immediately, giving Aeris the illusion of shimmering. Vincent chalked it up to weariness on his part. It had been a long day, after all, didn't show any sign of ending soon.  
  
Cloud cheered up a little at seeing Aeris so happy, and it was obvious to Vincent. Tifa made a small noise, and he guessed that she saw it, too.  
  
Cloud looked at the doorway they'd just recently opened, and said, "Hey! You guys found the room with the pictures! Good work! Just like in the vision. . ."  
  
Tifa said, "Wait, what do you mean, 'vision'?"  
  
"Aeris has some major connection happening with this place, and it caused a pool of water to react to her presence. We saw Sephiroth attacking Tseng, and this room, with the pictures. Wow, this hasn't been so bad, after all. Kinda easy, up until now. . . But you guys better keep on your toes. Sephiroth is still here. He left this big long trail of corpses, and I think he actually wants us to follow him." Cloud had assumed the stance of a man imparting some deep and insightful information. Vincent was amazed to realize that being in charge had gone to the young man's head.  
  
He stared at Cloud, and then said, "Don't talk to me." He walked through the doorway, Yuffie and Tifa trailing behind. He knew Cloud and Aeris would follow, so he didn't check.  
  
* * *  
  
Reno and Rude of the Turks were being pulled out. Tseng had given the order over the phone not twenty minutes previous. When Reno, a little testy at being deprived of a chance at Sephiroth, had asked just how in the hell to get out of there, Tseng had given very detailed directions to the only manual exit there was.  
  
He had talked them to the clock room, and then told them to go through door twelve. Reno's irate questions had gotten clarification on this point. The door marked XII. Then, the signal had suddenly just disappeared, and they were left to their own devices.  
  
Rude had been fine with this, but Reno had done nothing but complain, and question just why they had to leave. Rude let him. It didn't matter. Tseng said go, they went. After a few moments of waiting, Rude had walked confidently out onto the blue platform, with Reno following - and whining - behind him. Then he walked through door XII, which led to a pitch-black tunnel. Reno swore and drew his electro-rod, turning it on. It crackled quietly. Rude just hoped the red-haired Turk wouldn't become punchy and accidentally stick him with it.  
  
Then, the tunnel opened up on a reasonably large chamber, which was almost entirely dark, except for a rather ornate-looking door on the opposite side. The door was lit up for them to see, but the source of the light could not be found. It seemed to have once been truly grand, but, over the years, had gone to ruin. He could hear light gusts of wind coming in through one of the cracks.  
  
Above it was quite possibly the ugliest gargoyle Rude had ever seen in his life. It had an elongated head, no eyes to speak of, and teeth which looked quite sharp and metallic for a creation of stone. He stopped. Reno swore again.  
  
"Damn, Rude! Y'gotta tell me when you're going to do that! I almost knocked myself out with this bloody thing!"  
  
Rude smiled. The idea had appeal. However, the smile didn't last long, as the smaller Turk pushed past, and began walking over to the door. The gargoyle was not lost on Reno, though, as he craned his neck to look at it as he walked. Then, he just stopped, and said, "Hey, I saw something like that in a movie, once. It was some sci-fi thing starring some chick whose first name I can't pronounce, where this nasty critter just popped outta this guy's chest, and it went 'RAAARGH!' It was so cool!. . ."  
  
As Reno went on to recite, word-for-word, the script of this film, Rude kept his eye on the gargoyle, watching it. There was something very wrong with it, and, really, with the entire room. It was far too warm in here. And humid. Very humid. And it stank, like rotten breath. It occurred to him that he should have noticed this before, but he hadn't. He hadn't because the smell and the heat hadn't been there at first. They'd only just began. He watched more closely, already knowing what he was expecting, but powerless to admit it until he had hard evidence.  
  
". . .So then, the android said, 'It is the perfect killing machine." And she said-"  
  
"Shut up for a minute, would you?" Rude didn't raise his voice, and he didn't need to. One of the perks of being silent most of the time was, when you did speak up, people listened. Reno shut up.  
  
He concentrated on the face of the gargoyle. It didn't move, but something. . . like a sound. He could hear it, now that he knew what he was listening for. It was breathing. What he'd mistaken for a draft at first was, in fact, the sound of the gargoyle's breathing. That's what the smell was. And the heat.  
  
Reno was still looking at him, puzzled, when the lower jaw twitched. Rude ran forward, as Reno turned again to look at the hideous thing above the door. This time, he said, "What the hell?" as he watched it coming to life. The room began to shake, and Rude could hardly keep his feet, as he grabbed the back of Reno's suit, and bolted for the tunnel again. A deafening roar sounded in the enclosed space, and Rude felt his eardrums strain. The sound, when it finally faded, left a slight ringing in his ears, as the pair of them crouched, a prudent distance back, in the tunnel's darkness.  
  
"Cool. . ." mumbled Reno, as the enormous head peered at them - there was no kidding himself about that; Rude knew it could see them, even in the dark. It tried to reach inside, but the doorway proved too narrow for it. It began to ram its head against the frame, and cracks began to form in the walls, which had become lit by the creatures eyes. Rude realized dimly that they had been the source of the door's lighting.  
  
Wondering just what to do, the two Turks just watched as the creature slowly, inexorably, began to make room for itself in the tunnel.  
  
* * *  
  
The room was exactly as Cloud remembered from the vision. He could even see the place where Tseng and Elena had spoken. Tseng would have died, had it not been for Aeris. He would cheerfully left the bastard to bleed to death, but Aeris had found it in herself to help him. He was beginning to wonder if her compassion was endless. He smiled.  
  
It wasn't a room, so much as a hallway. Along the wall, each lit by a separate torch, was a scene, painted in. . . whatever they'd been painted in. The first picture showed the ziggurat-like shape of the Temple, as seen from the outside, and a black diamond shape, which must have been a crude rendition of the black materia.  
  
The next few were ones he just couldn't decipher, and then one which was pretty clear. Vincent said, "Something large falling from the sky?"  
  
That was, indeed, exactly what it appeared to be. "Meteor," said Cloud. "I guess they knew what it could do. Meteor, for all its power, is just another materia. Identifiable just like any other." He also had the idea that someone had once summoned it, but he kept that to himself.  
  
Aeris nodded.  
  
The group continued to walk. They approached a small table, and on it was a model. Tifa said, "Isn't that. . ."  
  
"The temple," Vincent finished for her. Cloud could only nod dumbly.  
  
At that moment, there was a flash of light, and the sound of laughter. Distant at first, the laughter coalesced, hardened, and a familiar, silver-haired figure appeared before them all. In one hand, he held the Masamune, but seemed to have no intentions of using it.  
  
"Sephiroth!" cried Cloud.  
  
Sephiroth stopped laughing. Rather, he reduced his laugh to a very queer-looking grin. At least, Cloud thought he might be grinning. It was hard to tell, because Sephiroth seemed to be blurring in and out in his vision. He rubbed his eyes, but it did not improve. Then, Sephiroth cocked his head to one side, and said, "Listen. . ."  
  
". . .What?" blurted Yuffie.  
  
"The knowledge of the ancients. I am becoming one with the Planet."  
  
"What are you talking about?" demanded Cloud.  
  
"When the Planet becomes wounded, it draws Mako energy into the wound, to begin the healing process. What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet?"  
  
"Injure. . . the Planet?" Aeris moaned.  
  
Sephiroth ignored this, and continued, "Imagine, all of that Mako energy being drawn into one place, and, at the center of it, me! I would become one with the Planet! I would become a god!"  
  
Vincent interrupted, "So that's why you need Meteor. . . Are you mad?"  
  
Sephiroth didn't answer. Instead, he disappeared. That was when the blurring in Cloud's vision began to spread. It first covered everything with a pale haze, and then whited it out completely.  
  
Cloud had no idea how much time passed while he was like that, but he guessed it couldn't have been too long. He came to with Tifa and Aeris each holding an arm and lifting him to his feet. ". . .right? Cloud? Can you hear me? CLOUD!" Tifa's voice sounded almost panicky.  
  
Yanking his arms free, he said, "I'm fine. Let me go! I'm fine!"  
  
Aeris asked, "Does he really mean to summon Meteor?"  
  
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, he does."  
  
"We have to stop him, then! Meteor might not just injure the Planet! It might wipe it out altogether!" Aeris seemed very distraught.  
  
Cloud leaned forward, and said-  
  
Crash! One side of the hallway fell in, and an enormous red dragon stepped through. It roared deafeningly in the small space, and Cloud, still a little fuzzy from whatever had happened a moment ago, just watched.  
  
* * *  
  
Aeris jumped back slightly in surprise when the dragon came through the wall, and saw that most of the others did the same. Except for Cloud. Cloud just stood there, and, as the monster closed in, Aeris's worry increased. He wasn't moving. The dragon was going to trample him, and then it would come for the rest of them.  
  
She had to do something. She had to protect him. She looked about for a way, and saw none. Yuffie had her Four-Point Shuriken in hand, but looked undecided on just where to throw it. Vincent had drawn his Quicksilver, and, even now, squeezed off a shot at the dragon. The dragon paused for a moment, shaking its head, but did not stop its attack. Tifa was running forward, no doubt to pull the obviously incapacitated Cloud back from the oncoming monster.  
  
What should I do?!  
  
Then, unexpectedly, there was an answer: Use the barrier materia.  
  
She had no idea if this was her own voice, or someone else's, and had no time to wonder. On who? On Cloud?  
  
On everyone, Aeris.  
  
I don't have an All, though. . .  
  
Don't worry. I'll help you.  
  
Who. . .?  
  
Your mother. The Princess Guard. Both.  
  
By some unseen force, all eyes in the room turned to Aeris. It was as though everyone knew something was coming. Indeed it was. Aeris smiled, her eyes closing, her head dropping. A green glow built steadily around her, and, normally tingling and strange, the feeling of power flowing through her and into the materia on her weapon, the Princess Guard, was comforting. With a pure heat, it ran through every fibre of her being, causing her hair to lift away from her shoulders, and her clothes to flutter around her, as though blown by an unfelt wind.  
  
Even the dragon had frozen, watching. Tentatively, it took a step forward, and then stepped back again. It was uncertain. A paw hovered in the air, unsure whether to move forward or back.  
  
Aeris smiled serenely, raising her head again, her eyes still closed. She raised the Princess Guard in front of her with one hand. She began to twirl it between her fingers, like a cheerleader's baton. Faster and faster it spun, the green light which had flowed around her spreading to the stick. The winged head of it absolutely blazed with a light which was not green, like that which covered the rest, but white. Soon, the Princess Guard was moving fast enough that it was just a blur. The green seeped away from Aeris, flowing into the Princess Guard entirely, and Aeris opened her eyes, which twinkled with tears. She dropped to her knees, leaving the staff whirling in the air in front of her.  
  
The staff no longer looked like a staff. Instead, it was spinning fast enough that it just looked like a luminescent shield.  
  
"Mother, what are you doing?"  
  
Inverted Barrier, Magic Barrier, and Reflect.  
  
What's Reflect? Inverted?  
  
You'll know soon enough.  
  
Mother. . .  
  
There was no response, this time. Aeris was gasping for breath. She watched the staff spin faster and faster, until the light began to expand. The shield shape became larger and larger, until it filled the room, obscuring her view of the others. She was alone in a sea of pale green light.  
  
Then, without warning, it was over. The Princess Guard dropped to the stone floor in front of her with a very undignified clank, and she could see the others again. The red dragon looked rather confused. As did Cloud, Yuffie, Vincent, and Tifa. She imagined she did, as well.  
  
The dragon looked around at them, and then its mouth opened wide. It looked to be yawning, although why it would be yawning she couldn't begin to guess. "Well, whatever you did, Aeris, I don't think it worked. . ." said Vincent, carefully watching the dragon.  
  
"That was pretty cool, though!" said Yuffie, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
Aeris looked at the dragon, and said, "It's not moving. Well it is, but not in any particular direction. It's just giving us dirty looks."  
  
It opened its mouth in another yawn-like gesture. Then, it appeared to inhale, and Cloud said, "Hit the deck!" He dove on top of the already winded Aeris, driving what little breath she had right out of her. She saw, even as he did, the dragon exhale, gouting waves of flame, which arced outward, and then suddenly curved around, creating a spherical shape. The dragon was engulfed in its own flame-breath. She knew, of course, that red dragons were fire-elementals, and the flames would not hurt it, but she also finally understood.  
  
"Inverted. Guys, it's an inverted Barrier, Magic Barrier, and Reflect combined! We wrapped it around the dragon. He's contained in a defensive spell!"  
  
Cloud got up, and helped her to do the same. She saw the Princess Guard, still lying on the floor, and picked it up. Cloud said, "What do you mean? There's no spell like that."  
  
Vincent said, "According to much of Shinra's research, a person with enough spiritual strength could conceivably manipulate spells to do unusual things, within the limitations of that spell. It's all theoretical, though. No idea if it's true."  
  
Cloud looked at him strangely.  
  
"What? Did you think I'd forgotten everything I ever learned from my days as a Turk? They were the ones we were primarily sent to find for SOLDIER. We never came across any, however. Until now." He looked at Aeris. "That was incredible, Aeris."  
  
She felt herself blushing. "Thank-you, Vincent, but I'll have to actually explain later. For now, don't we have a black materia to find?"  
  
Cloud said, "She's right." He turned back to the table, examining a model which sat there. It appeared to be a scale model of the temple, as seen from the outside. "This model is the black materia?"  
  
Then she heard it. It was a voice, but not her mother's. Instead, it was that of the ancients themselves. She said, "What's that?" They repeated themselves. The Temple. She looked at Cloud and said, "The ancients say that the model isn't the black materia. They said that the Temple itself is. We're supposed to use the model to compress the Temple."  
  
Cloud said, "So let's take this thing outside, and. . ."  
  
"That's the problem," Aeris continued. "The puzzle has to be solved inside the Temple."  
  
Yuffie said, "So, then, the black materia's safe, right?"  
  
"No," Vincent replied. "Sephiroth has many agents. To sacrifice one of them would be nothing to him. We have to take it."  
  
"Then someone's going to have to die," said Cloud. He looked at Aeris. "There has to be another way."  
  
She shook her head. "They say there isn't."  
  
Just then, another voice spoke up. "Cloud, I heard everything you just said. I can solve the puzzle for you. This body's just artificial, completely expendable."  
  
Everyone looked around. "Cait?" said Cloud.  
  
"The PHS. You told everyone to leave it on. I've heard everything that's gone on, so far. Now, you've got to go to the door and let me in, so I can work a little magic with this place."  
  
Aeris said, "Cloud, your belt." He looked down, and nodded as understanding dawned on him.  
  
He lifted the walkie-talkie to his mouth, and said, "Come around to the back, we'll let you in." He clicked it off. He looked at Aeris, and then at everyone else. He said, "Let's go."  
  
As they jogged past the now-incapacitated red dragon, Aeris saw Yuffie pick something up from the ground. It was a summon materia of some kind. The ninja placed it into the small pouch on her hip, and continued on. She decided that now wasn't the time to comment.  
  
* * *  
  
The gargoyle could go no further, and for that Rude was grateful. It had made it about half-way through the tunnel, but had been unable to move any further. It had pulled out to the doorway, and there it sat. Unfortunately, neither he nor Reno had the slightest idea how to move this monstrosity out of the way. If they'd had any materia, things might have been different, however. . .  
  
"And who do we have here?" said an all-too-familiar voice. Rude turned, and, with the light spilling from the gargoyle's eyes, could easily make out the cluster of people at the other end. Cloud Strife, Aeris Gainsborough, Vincent Valentine (the red eyes seemed to glow, causing Rude to suppress a shudder), Yuffie Kisaragi, and Tifa Lockheart, stood there, all glaring at him and Reno. This last caused his cool composure to slip, if only for an instant.  
  
"We aren't here to cause trouble." he said.  
  
"'Less you guys want us to," added Reno with a sneer. "Fact of the matter is, Big Nasty, over there, is blocking our way out. Yours, too, I'll bet." Reno gestured at the gargoyle, still blocking the exit, and still staring balefully at them. "Don't suppose you'd like to take a crack at him, eh?"  
  
Cloud, Buster drawn, said, "We have no intentions of co-operating with the Turks."  
  
"Suit yourself," the red-haired man answered. "Guess we're all stuck here."  
  
"Why haven't you taken care of it, tough guy?" Yuffie asked Rude. Cloud looked at her angrily. Rude guessed that the little dork didn't take kindly to people undermining the things he said.  
  
"No materia. It's made of rock, which makes punching, hitting, and shooting less-than-effective." Rude made sure that the implication was clear. Cloud and his group did have materia, so it was pretty much up to them to get them all past.  
  
Tifa looked at Rude - his heart skipped a beat - and asked, as politely as her obvious distaste would allow, "If you did have materia, what would your plan be?" This also earned a nasty look from Cloud. Rude restrained himself from punching him in the mouth. Picking a fight at this juncture would not be beneficial for anyone.  
  
"Fire, then Ice," he responded immediately. "It would make the rock crack apart." She looked at him with a surprised expression on her face, and he added, "We're trained to think outside the box." He felt himself flush, and hoped it was too dark to see.  
  
Tifa looked at him a moment longer, and Rude had fight to keep from fidgeting, and then she turned to Cloud, and asked, "Do we have any Ice materia?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I have it," Cloud answered, a little stiffly.  
  
"Are you willing to give Rude's idea a shot?" Cloud didn't answer this.  
  
Aeris leaned forward, still looking quite worn from whatever it was she'd done back in the picture-room. She said, "Cloud, it's the only shot we have, here. Give it a try." Rude thought he saw Tifa stiffen, now. He wasn't sure just what he thought of that.  
  
". . .Fine," he said. "But it's no good, unless we have the Fire one, too, and Barret has that."  
  
Vincent spoke up immediately. "Actually, I have the Enemy Skill one with me. It's possible that it's picked up a fire-elemental attack at some point."  
  
Cloud nodded, and said, "Check and see."  
  
Vincent drew his pistol, and looked at the holes in the top. Most were empty, except one. It contained the Enemy Skill materia, which he picked out with two of the talons on his prosthetic arm. Reholstering the Quicksilver, he placed it in the palm of his real hand. Immediately, he said, "There's one. The monster it came from thought of it as Flamethrower. It should do nicely."  
  
Cloud nodded again, and looked at Rude. "How confident are you that this will work?"  
  
"It will."  
  
"Okay. Vincent, you're up."  
  
The strange man stepped forward, replacing the Enemy Skill materia in its slot, and brushing past Rude and Reno without a second thought. Rude was impressed. The guy had guts.  
  
Vincent stopped maybe twenty feet in front of the creature, just beyond its reach, should it lunge, and raised his gun. A very faint yellow light poured off the weapon, and washed over him. Moments later, it flowed back over the gun, gathering at the muzzle. Then, he pulled the trigger.  
  
An enormous wave of flames gushed from the weapon, mutilating the bullet the instant it left the barrel, and poured over and around the gargoyle, which did not flinch at all. As it was engulfed but not devoured by the fire, Rude could see its rocky "skin" scorching, and then, very minutely, giving off waves of heat in every direction. Vincent, apparently, felt it, too, for, while the Flamethrower did not affect him in the least, he stepped back as the creature's surface began to heat up.  
  
After a few more moments of this - around twenty-five seconds in all - Vincent finally stopped, breathing heavily. He stepped back, and said, "Your turn, Cloud."  
  
The former SOLDIER stepped up, walking up to where Vincent had initially stood, and then moving back, slightly, flinching from the heat. He raised the Buster in front of him, and the same kind of glow that had come from Vincent's weapon began to come from his, only, this time, it was green instead of yellow. As it gathered in the sword, he lowered it to his side, faintly touching the ground. Then, with a roar, he quickly raised it, and swung it in the direction of the gargoyle. As he did, a crescent- shaped body of light was thrown from the blade, and, from the place it hit the monster, a harsh frost began to spread outward, over its body.  
  
This did cause a reaction on the gargoyle's part, as the sudden drop in temperature from its previous heat caused it to roar in pain, it's face cracking in several places, and chunks falling away from the jaw. Finally, the lower half of its face just fell right off. Furious, it backed up, and, with a final scream, it lurched forward, toward their hiding place.  
  
Reno called, "Move your asses, here it comes!" And he backed up quickly, bringing a squawk of irritation from Yuffie as he accidentally sent her sprawling. Rude followed. Cloud didn't move at all; he was too strained from the use of Ice. Rude saw Tifa run forward to grab him, and grabbed her as she passed, wrapping an arm around her waist, and swinging her back to the others.  
  
At the same moment, Reno fell forward, swearing loudly, and a something flew past Rude's ear with a whizzing sound. He reflexively fell sideways, bracing himself against the side of the tunnel, and watched the object fly out of the tunnel's mouth. The injured gargoyle never even saw it. It collided with the creature's nose, and banked back toward them. This time, Rude threw himself on the ground, and everyone else followed suit. Except for Yuffie.  
  
She caught the Four-Point Shuriken in one hand, and Rude looked up at her dumbly. He looked back out at where Cloud was finally backing away from the gargoyle, and the gargoyle was just staring blankly. It shattered, falling to thousands of tiny pieces. Rude looked again at Yuffie. She shrugged, and said, "It looked like things needed to be helped along." He nodded slowly, and rose to his feet, trying to look reasonably non-chalant as he did so. Reno did the same.  
  
As others rose to their feet, Reno said, "That actually worked pretty well, Rude." Reno sounded surprised. Rude could have cheerfully socked him one. Reno turned and looked at Cloud, who was staring at them all, looking shell-shocked. He said, "You know, when big monster think you look like little hamburger, you run. Dork." Rude decided that this made him want to hit Reno a lot less.  
  
Rude turned to face the others, and was greeted by a fist. His nose exploded in pain, and his sunglasses flew off. Surprised, he looked at Tifa, who was scowling at him. Then, she grabbed his shoulders, and planted a knee in his stomach. Now hurting in two places, he continued to just stare at her in disbelief. Then, she took a step away, and screamed, "HiiiiyA!" as she landed a roundhouse kick hard on his jaw. He flew back, hitting the ground with a thump. He rubbed his jaw and nose, which he thought might be broken; it was certainly bleeding enough.  
  
She grunted, and told him, "I never gave you permission to touch me." Then, she stalked past, leaving the rest gaping after her.  
  
One by one, they filed past, and Rude seethed. The last one to pass was Vincent, who stopped in front of him. Reno made as if to move forward, but Rude held up a hand, and he held his place. Vincent looked down at him for a long time, those curious red eyes seemingly trying to see into his soul. The man's face was expressionless. Finally, he said, "You think I'm going to hit you. I could, and it would probably kill you. However, I know that you very likely saved her life, back there, even if she can't see that. I have no idea why you did, but you did. Just so you know it wasn't totally thankless." The man made as if to move on, and then paused. He reached into his cape, and brought out a vial. It was a potion. He flipped it to Reno, who caught it deftly with one hand. "That ought to cover the damage."  
  
The damage. As if they'd gotten into a minor fender-bender on the street. Rude didn't know what to make of it. Reno bent down, his face totally without emotion, and took out the vial's stopper. He handed it to Rude, who took it gratefully. He drank it, feeling the warmth of it begin to spread throughout him immediately. He wiped his mouth, and tossed the container away. It smashed somewhere back toward the clock pit, and he paid it no mind. He got to his feet.  
  
He still hurt everywhere that Tifa had hit him, but he was determined not to show pain until they'd left this place behind. He walked carefully into the room with the doorway, where the rest were clustered around the gargoyle's remains. He and Reno skirted them, and opened the door. Rude was almost unsurprised to see Cait Sith standing there.  
  
"Well, it's about time you guys let me in!" he said, bounding forward. Then, he saw who he was speaking to, and, without any apparent surprise, nodded. "Reno. Rude."  
  
"Heya, Reeve, what's shakin'?" said Reno, his tone quite sarcastic. Not waiting for an answer, he went out the door. Rude followed. Cait Sith looked out after them, and Rude guessed he was a little annoyed to be called by his real name in the presence of Cloud and the others. Just at a glance, though, he could see that they hadn't even noticed. He nodded to Cait, and then turned, and went to find Tseng.  
  
* * *  
  
Cait Sith bounded on up to Cloud, peering around as he went. He said, "Looks like you guys had a bit of a problem, here. . ."  
  
Cloud gave a dismissive wave, and said, "Nothing we couldn't handle." He looked at Cait. "You ready?"  
  
"And willing, fearless leader!" the mechanical cat said, affecting a salute. Reeve knew it looked comical on the Cait Sith body, and that was the point. Keep the tension levels down. If he was good at anything, it was cheering people up. Cloud didn't smile, though. Reeve guessed his smiler was broken, and almost laughed.  
  
Cait began to head for the clock pit, and then stopped. Without turning around, he said, "I want to thank you guys for trusting me, even though I worked for Shinra. And for having faith in my ability to do this. Thank-you."  
  
He heard Aeris say, "Cait, why don't you tell our fortune?"  
  
Reeve turned around and said, "Yeah, that's a great idea! But. . . what should I tell?"  
  
Aeris smiled, and leaned in close to Cloud, who blushed. "See how compatible Cloud and I are!" Tifa turned and began to closely study the exit, Reeve noticed. Judging from the way Vincent didn't look at anyone, least of all Tifa, Reeve guessed he noticed, too. Yuffie just grinned excitedly.  
  
Cait nodded, and he said, "Okay!" with as much cheer as he could muster. It sounded okay, to him. He turned around, and set the machines in motion. A small slip of paper came out the cave moogle's mouth, and Cait Sith deftly caught it with one hand. He held it up to the cameras which hid behind his eyes, and looked at it.  
  
The paper was blank. "What?" he muttered.  
  
"What does it say, Cait?" asked Aeris.  
  
"Uh, this one's just a recipe for cookies! Let me try again. . ."  
  
The machine whirred again, and the moogle spat out another slip of paper. This one was blank, too. Reeve stared for a long time, trying to consider the implications of such a thing. The moogle, for all its appearances, tended to be quite accurate in its predictions. He didn't know why that was, and never really questioned it. Now, though, he was made to wonder just how accurate the moogle was. From time to time, it did spit out cookie recipes, phone numbers, and sometimes pictures. It had never given a blank fortune, though, and the consistency with which it was now doing so meant it wasn't just a screwup. But what could it mean?  
  
"Cait?" said Aeris, her voice tentative. "What does it say?"  
  
"Oh, uh, it says you two are perfect for each other," he replied in his cheeriest voice, silently steeling himself from some kind of reaction from Tifa. Tifa just shook her head, and walked out the door. Only he and Vincent noticed.  
  
Aeris jumped up and down in excitement, as did Yuffie. Cloud just shook his head, trying to hide a grin. Then, Aeris waved, and said, "Thank- you, Cait Sith! Good luck." Pulling Cloud by the hand, she ran out the door. Yuffie cheered, and followed.  
  
"See you around, guys. . ." Reeve said quietly.  
  
He turned to go, and a hand clamped down on the moogle's shoulder. Cait Sith turned to look, and found himself face-to-face with Vincent. The strange man studied Cait's face for a long time, and Reeve was suddenly glad the face was incapable of anything besides happiness and mock-sadness. Right then, he would be seeing happiness.  
  
Finally, Vincent asked, "Can I see that fortune?"  
  
Reeve replied, a wry smile tinging his voice, "Not much gets past you, does it?"  
  
No answer. The grin slipping from Cait Sith's face, he glumly handed Vincent the piece of paper. Vincent stared at it for a moment, and then said, "What's this?"  
  
"It's what came out. Twice." He handed the former Turk the other piece of paper, and Vincent looked at it, as well.  
  
"Well, your fortunes aren't very reliable, you know. . ." The caped man didn't sound convinced, however.  
  
"They actually are, aside from the occasional dirty limerick. Trust me. I, of all people, would know."  
  
"Then what is this supposed to mean?"  
  
"I don't know," Reeve replied truthfully. Quickly, without giving Vincent a chance to ask him any more difficult questions, he asked, "Which way's the room with the model?"  
  
Vincent told him, and Cait Sith turned around and bounded off down the passage.  
  
* * *  
  
The picture room was a mess, now, and Reeve gawked at the dragon, which remained trapped within some unusual Barrier. He'd heard it all over Cloud's PHS, but it was still something to see. He hoped to find out more about it, later. For now, he had a job to do, and everyone was counting on him.  
  
At the other end, he could see the model of the temple, sitting on its table. Quickly, Cait Sith bounded over.  
  
Okay, gotta compress it. See, Cloud? See, everyone? I can protect the Planet, too. I'm kinda embarrassed. . .  
  
Back at the Shinra building, in his office, Reeve smiled happily and began to process of collapsing the temple. As it began to close in on Cait Sith, that smile somehow translated itself to the robotic face of the cat, stretching the face in ways it was never meant to. Cait Sith's smile mirrored that of its controller in the last moments of its existence.  
  
* * *  
  
Outside, high overhead in a stolen chopper, Tseng, Reno, and Rude watched as the Temple collapsed inward. Rude looked at Tseng with an alarmed expression on his normally impassive face.  
  
"That's supposed to happen, Cue-Ball, calm down. Reeve did it."  
  
"Did what?" Reno asked, sounding thoroughly confused.  
  
Tseng said, "I'll explain on the way back." He smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
Cid had just won his two-hundred-and-eighty-sixth game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in a row against Barret when a low rumble began to fill the air.  
  
Barret growled, and said, "Dammit! How c'n you be so lucky at this?"  
  
As he turned to look at the temple, Cid mumbled distractedly, "Not luck, pal. Skill."  
  
"Yeah, I'll b'lieve that like I'll b'lieve-" Cid held up a hand, and Barret was silent immediately.  
  
"Y'hear that, ebonics-boy?"  
  
"Yeah, I hear it. You shouldn'ta eaten all that spicy food, back at the Saucer."  
  
"That ain't me. It's comin' from the &$^#@$ temple."  
  
Nanaki, who'd been napping in the shade of a tree, lifted his head, and looked at the enormous structure, ears cocked. Cid watched him do this with minor interest, and then the feline said, "He's right, Barret. Something's happening, in there. I'd wager Cait Sith accomplished whatever it was he was going in there for."  
  
As he said this, Cid spotted the others, led by Tifa, running across the suspension bridge, full-tilt. Cloud and Aeris ran almost side-by-side behind her, followed by Yuffie. Vincent brought up the rear. Behind them, the temple began to shudder, and Cid could swear it was getting lower. Then, it became clear that it truly was sinking, except that wasn't quite it. It was imploding.  
  
Nanaki began to run forward, but he said, "No, dammit! Red, stay the ^*@% here! There's gonna be a lotta debris."  
  
The cat stopped, and looked at him, an amazed and angry expression on his face, and answered, "Well, we aren't just going to stand here and watch, are we?"  
  
Cid looked at him, and said, "That's exactly what we're gonna do, furball. Sorry, but there ain't a thing else we can do."  
  
Nanaki seemed to want to argue, but nodded instead, and watched.  
  
The bridge swung hard to the sides, and everyone grabbed the rope supports to keep from toppling over, and, as soon as it stopped, they kept moving. Behind them, dust clouds puffed out from the collapsing temple, and stones flew. One hit the bridge directly behind Vincent, and hard. It crashed through, fraying the ropes, and causing a loose quality the bridge hadn't had, before.  
  
Tifa made solid ground first, followed by Cloud, who tripped and sprawled forward. That was when the bridge collapsed. Vincent's reflexes saved both himself and Yuffie a fall, as he leapt, grabbing the ninja by the back of the shirt as he passed overhead. The jump carried them both to where Tifa and Cloud were. Aeris was almost at the side, but, as it fell, she disappeared from Cid's view. He saw Tifa standing there at the edge, even as Cloud was getting up from where he'd fallen. She was just staring downward, and then she stepped back, slipped, and fell hard on her rear. She scrabbled away from the edge as fast as she could, and Cid thought, That's it, then. The girl's dead.  
  
He was surprised to feel sorrow at this thought. Up until now, he'd been as disconnected from most of his emotions as a sniper lining up his target. Now, though, he felt close to tears.  
  
Fighting them back furiously, and succeeding, he chomped down hard on the end of his cigarette, and looked again at Nanaki and Barret. Nanaki was watching the events unfolding before them with an intensity he hadn't yet seen in the cat, and Barret was looking at him. He was scowling. "Good call, Captain."  
  
Without answering, Cid broke into a run toward the others. Screw the debris. It looked like the others needed help.  
  
He slid to a halt directly in front of the place where Aeris had fallen, and landed hard on his shoulder, even as Vincent, Cloud, and Yuffie were still getting up from their respective landing places. Grace was definitely not his strength. He peered over the edge, and was greeted with the sight of Aeris hanging from one of the bridge's slats with one hand. In the other hand, she gripped a funny-looking staff of some kind. Her hold was slipping, but she didn't let go of the staff.  
  
"Aeris, drop the damn stick!" he called.  
  
The girl looked up, and replied, a little confusedly, "Cid?" She looked down at the staff, and said, "I can't! The Princess Guard! My mother!"  
  
He had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew he couldn't wait any longer, or she'd fall. He called out, hoping someone would hear him, "Hold onto me! I'm headin' down!"  
  
With that, he slid forward, and over the lip. There was a bare moment when he was certain no one had heard him, and that he'd fall to his death, and then someone grabbed the cuffs of his pants.  
  
He didn't look to see who it was, instead concentrating on reaching Aeris's gloved hand. He came within reaching distance just as she slipped, and he clamped both of his much larger hands over hers. "Gotcha," he said, as though the fact wasn't plain.  
  
At the same time, the hand which had him began to pull both he and Aeris back up, with incredible strength. As he cleared the lip, Cloud, who had been waiting at the side, stepped forward, and grabbed onto Aeris's hand, pulling her the rest of the way up. The person behind him let go, and he watched as Aeris and Cloud hugged each other. Cloud looked about to cry. Wuss. The pair began to walk away from the calming wreckage, and he called, "You're welcome!" No one answered.  
  
Ahead, he saw that Aeris hadn't been in any real danger of falling. Instead, the other side of the gulley had collapsed inward, filling the place where the bridge had been with rocks. She would have been crushed, instead.  
  
He rolled over onto his back, and looked up at the person who'd caught him. It was Tifa, finally recovered from whatever had happened to her. "Hey," she said.  
  
* * *  
  
When the dust had settled in the temple's ruins, Cloud said, "We're heading back in there."  
  
"Care t'explain?" Cid asked.  
  
"The black materia was the temple, and now we need to get it before Sephiroth does." Cloud didn't quite understand just what was so hard to comprehend about that concept.  
  
"The bridge is out. How the hell d'we get back in there?"  
  
Cloud looked back at the entrance to what was once the temple, and, sure enough, the bridge was out. As though he hadn't already known. Beyond, he could see the place where the temple had been, and, he assumed, must still be, after a fashion. Where the bridge had been, there was a massive pile of rocks. "We can cross those rocks." Without another word, he started walking.  
  
The small ridge proved tottery, but passable. The only one who had any trouble with it was Barret, but, then, Barret sometimes had trouble just walking. He took a few steps out, and then a rock slid out from under his foot, and he'd fallen hard on his face. Tifa had helped him up, and Cloud tried hard not to laugh. Reasonably successfully, he thought, but the big man had shot him a dark look, anyway.  
  
On the other side, there was what Cloud thought looked like a gravel pit. There was nothing in it, that he could see. Then, Aeris began to descend into it, and he followed, more out of an innate protectiveness for the girl than any real belief that anything would be found down there.  
  
They spent a long time, searching through the loose grey stone of the temple, and found nothing. Then, Aeris did find it. She simply stuck her hand under a seemingly random pile of loose rock, and pulled out a black marble. The Meteor materia glowed blackly. She said, "Cloud, catch," and tossed it to him. He caught it carefully, and looked at it.  
  
He wondered just how something could emanate darkness the way it did, and held it up to the light. He could see everyone else gathered around the edge of the pit, and scanned their faces. They all held the same dubious expression. Then, he saw why. The materia not only gave off darkness, but it seemed to actually negate light, so that the area immediately surrounding it for about an inch or so was almost pitch-black. "Creepy," he said.  
  
Aeris gasped, and Cloud spun around to face her. Standing about ten feet away was Sephiroth, still holding the Masamune loosely in one hand. He laughed, and Cloud blacked out, almost immediately.  
  
* * *  
  
Cait Sith bounded across the rocks, toward the place where the temple used to stand, with Reeve at the controls, once more. He'd had a helicopter on stand-by, in case such an occurrance as the first Cait's destruction were to come about. As soon as it had become apparent that it was going to happen, the chopper had flown in, from a distance, and set down, ready for the second Cait Sith to come to life and move out. Then, upon the "death" of the first one, he'd switched over to the other one.  
  
This new Cait Sith was fitted with a few more options. He was meant for combat and travel, not espionage, and that was fine with Reeve. His cover was blown with this group, in any case. Now, he could show them what he could really do. Reeve smiled, and Cait Sith mimicked the motion with complete accuracy. This model was fitted with more advanced facial expression modules, capable of everything its pilot was. It was more a gesture of good faith, allowing them to see the face as his really was, than anything else. He hoped it helped. He really didn't want them to hate him.  
  
Though this particular model was a lot harsher for him, as a result of the neural uplink, he still liked it. Another feature was a simulated sense of touch. Underneath the fur lay literally hundreds of sensors, which translated every type of contact the robot had into real sensations for Reeve. He thought it was neat. Rufus had thought it was stupid, but had allowed him that.  
  
Cait scraped to a stop to find most of the others looking down into the pit with identical expressions of dismay. He acted on his first instinct, and said, "Hey! My name's Cait Sith Two! Pleased to meet you all!" The joke was met with not only silence, but complete inattention. He looked down where they were all staring, and said, "Did I come at a bad time? Oops, looks like you're having a whole 'thing,' here. . ."  
  
Down below, he could see Cloud, and the ex-SOLDIER looked like a puppet, dancing on its strings. He was walking stiffly toward Sephiroth, the black materia in one outstretched hand, and all anyone seemed able to do was gawk. Even Aeris just stared, seeming to totter on the edge of trying to stop him. "Cloud, what are you doing?" he cried.  
  
No answer. Whatever he was seeing, down there, Cloud wasn't even an issue anymore. He was about to jump down and stop him, when something unusual happened.  
  
The Cait Sith body stopped responding. The arms and legs went slack, and the cat's head tipped sideways, the vision becoming staticky. What he saw, however caused some confusion. He was seeing two Clouds. One was the puppet, and the other, not dressed in Cloud's SOLDIER uniform, and much shorter, was standing in front of the puppet. He looked like a younger version of Cloud. Young Cloud was running back and forth in front of the puppet, and Reeve was able to make out something else. Young Cloud was saying something. "No. . ." Then there was static. "Stop it, Cloud, don't let him. . ." More static. This hurt his head, badly.  
  
Then, Cloud gave the black materia to Sephiroth, who laughed again, and simply disappeared. No, he didn't just disappear. He flew away. He lifted off the ground, and simply soared away toward the horizon.  
  
Within moments, he was gone, and Cait Sith began, slowly, to function again. As everything crept back online, he saw Cloud scream, and start taking swings at the empty air where Sephiroth had been, moments before. Then, screaming more loudly, he spun, and began to pound away at Aeris, without any warning at all. Reeve yelled, "Cloud! Stop it!"  
  
He saw Cid quickly descend the slope toward the SOLDIER and the flower-girl. The Captain said, "#&$^, Cloud, that's enough!" and, putting him into a full-nelson, yanked him off of Aeris. The pair fell backward, Cid slinging Cloud behind him. Almost immediately, Cloud's flailing weakened, and then stopped, altogether. He was out cold. Cid got to his feet, and just stared.  
  
After a few moments, he bent, and picked up his cigarette, which had fallen out during his struggle with Cloud. He puffed madly at it, and looked up at the rest of them. "Barret, help me with 'im, wouldja?"  
  
As Barret wordlessly hopped down to aid Cid, Reeve began to wonder just what he'd witnessed, here.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Ah yes. Rock, Paper, Scissors. The old stand-by.  
  
If you don't know where to contact me to tell us what a good job we did, check the recap, alright? I'm too lazy to retype it over and over. Next up: The Dream and Gongaga  
  
Added: I apparently forgot to include Ree-chan's info, here, so here it is: chaos_vincent21@hotmail.com. Also, schuldich.signmyguestbook.com. She'd love to hear from ya. As would I. Seriously. 


	3. First Interlude: The Dream and Gongaga

So here's the third installment of our little rewrite. Go us. Ahem. This part simply focusses on the after-effects of the events at the Temple of the Ancients, and Cloud's struggle to decide on what he needs to do. Nothing really revolutionary or different, here, and there won't be for the next part, either. This is mostly for the benefit of those strange few who read fanfics without ever having heard of the series or game or whatever that they are based on. Weirdos.  
  
And now for the obligatory: This whole damn thing belongs to Square. The plot, the characters, the places, the names, the words, the situations, and, probably, my soul, although my lawyers are still looking into that.  
  
There. Happy? Good.  
  
You are entering the What If zone. . .  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
  
  
  
  
Interlude: The Dream and Gongaga  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
For a long time, there was nothing. And then something began to fill the void. Trees. A forest. A forest unlike any other forest Cloud knew. It was as though it was designed for travelers, having grown into an avenue. It was beautiful, and, although it seemed ludicrous to him, it sang.  
  
The forest sang of times long-gone, wordlessly, but as undeniably as the existence of the Sun. It truly was a sight to behold. Then, a figure appeared.  
  
It was Aeris. She walked out of the woods on one side of the avenue. In one hand, she held that strange staff. She smiled at him, and said, "Hey, Cloud!"  
  
He tried to respond, but couldn't.  
  
"Take care of the others for me. And let us take care of Sephiroth!"  
  
Us?  
  
As though his thought had been out loud, another appeared, from the woods on the opposite side. The woman had chestnut hair, and wore a pale dress. She looked at him with solemn eyes, which sparkled green. Her face was more deeply lined than Aeris's, but carried that same promise of gentle care. Even so, the woman looked almost mournful.  
  
What do you know that I don't?  
  
The woman appeared to listen, and then shook her head. Cloud was taken aback. The woman had heard his thought. He wondered if Aeris had, and had no way of knowing.  
  
Aeris giggled, and began to run off. The woman followed behind, appearing to walk, but somehow keeping pace with the flower-girl. They disappeared. Cloud tried to follow, running as hard as he could, but he didn't move from his place, and his legs slid slowly through the air. He was beginning to feel desperate.  
  
That was when another sound came, from above. Another figure lowered down to face him. Not surprisingly, it was Sephiroth. He did not seem to notice Cloud there, despite the fact that he was looking almost directly at him.  
  
"Huh. . ." the silver-haired man said, "That one could prove difficult. She'll have to be dealt with." Without another word, Sephiroth turned and walked after the pair, at a leisurely pace. After only a few steps, he, too, vanished. Cloud would have howled his despair, had he had his voice.  
  
Sephiroth! No! Stay away from her!  
  
His thoughts seemed echoed from somewhere. He turned to look, and saw a figure beside him. He couldn't make it out, shrouded in a smoky- white haze though it was. He found he didn't care who it was. He turned to look again at the avenue.  
  
Everything went white.  
  
* * *  
  
Barret and Tifa sat on stools, and watched Cloud's motionless form. In the corner sat Cid, puffing away at a cigarette. He was asleep, with the cigarette still perched fitfully between his lips. The room was hazy with smoke, only barely ventilated by an open window. The man sat in a lazy manner, but Barret could tell he was worried about Cloud. That was okay. They all were. And about Aeris, too, who'd gone to the Forgotten City without them. She'd left only a note to tell them about her plans to take care of Sephiroth herself. Damn girl. She was going to give him an ulcer. Probably ol' Spikey-Head, too. Probably already had. And Cid was looking kind of pale, too. Bad dream, maybe.  
  
C'mon, kiddo, wake up. . .  
  
He wasn't sure just why he was bothering with such thoughts. No one had any idea how long he might stay like this. He might wake up in the next few minutes, or not at all. What they should have been doing was going after Aeris, but no one was willing to leave Cloud's side. Even Cait Sith, who'd taken a break from the constant vigil he'd kept up until now, was still nearby. He'd gone to have a quick root through the junk-piles at the center of the jungle.  
  
Yuffie, trying to seem unconcerned, was off haggling with the materia dealer in this small shanty town. Vincent was with her. Barret grinned. Those two were almost joined at the hip. As for Red XIII. . . he was somewhere around.  
  
He turned to look at Tifa. Pallid, but otherwise straight-faced, she just kept a steady eye on the man lying on the bed. She didn't look up, not at him, not at Cid, or even at Cait Sith, when the Shinra employee - he gritted his teeth - had gone for his jaunt.  
  
Man. He was NOT cut out for this stuff. He leaned back, and huffed a large sigh, resting his remaining hand on his gun-arm. He shook his head. He looked over at the Highwind Captain, and saw that he was awake, now. "Cid, why d'we follow this guy? Nuthin' but trouble. . ."  
  
Cid shrugged. "Morbid curiosity?" He wheezed a chuckle around a lung-full of smoke. Barret laughed out loud.  
  
Wiping a tear from his eye, he choked, "It'd be funnier if it wa'n't prob'ly true!" Then, as he calmed down, he returned his stare to the former SOLDIER, lying unconscious on the bed before him. Morbid curiosity. Most of 'em were the type to actually have that reason, too. One-by-one, he tried to imagine each of them poking a dead body with a stick. For each, it came quite naturally. "He's def'nitely made our lives a whole lot more int'restin'."  
  
"Amen to that, Big Guy." With that, Cid butted his smoke out on the floor, stepping on it and crushing it to make sure it was out, and said, "I'm gonna go see where Cait is. It's dangerous, out there in the wreckage. You know. . . see if 'e needs a hand with anything." Without waiting for an answer, the Captain lifted himself out of the wooden rocking chair he'd occupied and went to the door. He opened it, and stood there a moment longer. He shivered. He exited, closing the door gently behind him.  
  
Nonplussed, Barret shrugged, and returned to his watch. Tifa was a statue, and Cloud shivered, in a rather spooky imitation of Cid. Then, something else happened. His breathing changed. It went from the slow, steady breathing of a very deep sleep to a rather rapid, fitful pace. He was hyperventilating. He rose from his seat, even as Tifa sprang from a sitting position to a tense kneeling position beside the bed.  
  
He shook his head again, feeling pity for the poor girl. She was absolutely head-over-heels for Cloud, but he didn't reciprocate. At least, not terribly visibly. Barret knew he did care, though. He just seemed. . . well, completely whipped by Aeris. In that moment, she looked exactly like a painting that had been hung up in her bar. It had been called Expectant Love. The girl in the painting had been wearing a dress, of course, but Tifa didn't wear dresses. Even in her shorts and tank-top thing, though, she was a pitiful sight to behold.  
  
He turned his attention to Cloud, who was now restless, tossing and turning like a man pursued. Unconsciously, he touched his gun-arm. Then, he made a mental promise to himself, to Cloud, and to Tifa: Sephiroth would get his, in the end. He was living on borrowed time, now.  
  
* * *  
  
When his eyes opened, Cloud thought he was still in that strange avenue, and cried out, "Don't you dare! You hear me?!" Then, as things swam into view, he took in Tifa's face, shocked and pale. Behind her, he saw the mildly worried look in Barret's eyes, and the tense set of his stance. As Cloud looked at him, his vision swam again, this time with tears. He sat up, wiping his eyes.  
  
Tifa said, "Wh-what?" Now she was crying. Cloud was about to tell her he hadn't been talking to her, but she got up and bolted from the room. He watched her go, wanting to follow, but knowing that, if he tried, he'd only end up on his ass. He turned to look at Barret.  
  
"Th'hell's goin' on, Cloud?" demanded Barret.  
  
The larger man's glare caused Cloud to look at the blankets in front of him. "I didn't mean her. I was yelling at Sephiroth."  
  
Barret didn't say a word for a long time, and then his gaze softened. "What's up?"  
  
"I. . . had a dream. It was Aeris, and some other woman. I think. . . I think it was Aeris's mom." He paused.  
  
"Aeris's mom?" repeated Barret, a little uncertainly.  
  
"Aeris has gone to take on Sephiroth by herself. They both have. Sephiroth knows. I think he's going to. . . going to kill her!"  
  
"Well, SHEE-IT! Guess that means we're goin', too! Ready ta go, boy?" Barret didn't seem to be expecting an answer, so he did a double- take when Cloud responded.  
  
"I'm not going."  
  
". . .Come again?"  
  
"I-I'm not going," Cloud repeated, voice wavering a bit. "After what happened at the Temple, I can't. I'm dangerous. I don't know what happened, but, if it happens again, it could jeopardize Aeris's life. ALL of your lives."  
  
"You. . .?"  
  
"I'm not going," he said for a third time. Then, he returned his gaze to the blanket.  
  
"Cloud, I know what happened was nasty'n all, but. . ."  
  
"No."  
  
"But. . ." But what? Cloud thought. Barret didn't say anything to finish that. Instead, his voice full of ice, he said, "Fine. The rest of us're goin'! Seeya 'round, Cloud. . ."  
  
The ex-SOLDIER didn't look up. He heard Barret's enormous boots stomp across the floor, and the door open. Then, he heard and felt it slam, making the entire shack shudder with the force of it.  
  
He just shook his head. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't put all of their lives in danger because of his own weaknesses. They were better off without him.  
  
But Aeris needs you, a voice whispered from the back of his mind. Damn conscience. He told it to shut up, but it persisted. You leave her to die, and you'll be no better than Sephiroth. You might as well have killed her yourself. And, besides. . .  
  
"I can't leave her. I love her?"  
  
Bingo, pally. Cloud was a little disturbed to find that his conscience had a way of talking that bore a terrible resemblance to Cid's own manner. Even so, what if it were to happen again?  
  
Quit tryin' to talk yourself out of it, asshole. Go on.  
  
Cursing silently, he threw off the covers and began searching for his pants.  
  
* * *  
  
Barret was saying, ". . .So it looks like we're movin' on without 'im. . ." Cid wasn't listening. He was staring into space, wondering just what it was that had happened in that hut. He'd been sleeping, dreaming his usual dreams about beautiful women, lots of money, and dancing cigarettes, when it had all changed. He'd found himself looking at a bunch of people, two of whom he'd recognized immediately as Cloud and Aeris.  
  
The other bore such a resemblance to Aeris that she could only be the girl's mother. He wasn't sure just why he'd been watching this, but something told him it was important, so he'd paid close attention. Aeris's mom, in particular, caught his attention. She'd looked so sad, as she'd looked at Cloud.  
  
The next thing he remembered was seeing Sephiroth, and knowing that he meant to kill Aeris. That was when he'd awakened, and known it was time to get the gang together, and move out. Now, it seemed, Cloud had opted to stay behind. Was this why he'd been shown what he'd seen? Because someone had to know?  
  
"We gonna leave 'im behind?" Barret asked, more looking for a general confirmation than anything else.  
  
Before there was any response, the door to the little hut where Cloud had been resting banged open, and the man himself stepped out, albeit a little unsteadily. He was still cinching his belt when he said, "Sorry about that, everyone. I guess I needed a few minutes to get my bearings. Ready to go?"  
  
Cait saluted. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Each in their own fashion, the rest followed suit. Cid, however, just nodded. He was now totally convinced that whatever force had guided him into that dream wanted him to know something. Whether Cloud had actually been there or not he had no clue, but he suspected the man had been. This meant that, although Cloud knew of Sephiroth's plans, and about Aeris's mother, he either did not mean to fill anyone in completely, or simply wouldn't. Morbid curiosity, fer sure. He was now following to find out what would happen next, on top of everything else.  
  
Things were definitely going to get interesting.  
  
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Contact stuff: Master Telanis - deschain5@hotmail.com or veilsixclaw.signmyguestbook.com.  
  
Ree-chan the Great - chaos_vincent21@hotmail.com or schuldich.signmyguestbook.com.  
  
If flaming, gofckurself.signmyguestbook.com.  
  
I have no idea when the next part will be out, as I am still in the process of writing it. Although, I imagine you can all guess what it will be about. 


	4. Chapter 2: The Forgotten Capital

Okay, so this one took a bit to get posted. I apologize profusely, and I also give unfortunate warning that this will probably happen most every time. School + Fanfic = Sacrifices, no da? In any case, I'd like to point out that all characters, places, and inanimate objects are the sole property of Square. Not mine, theirs. Also, I'd like to apologize to Dave Barry for not only stealing one of his jokes, but for misquoting it. I could not think of a fresh one. I'm an unoriginal bitch and I should be shot. That said, I hope you enjoy!  
  
-Master Telanis  
  
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The Forgotten Capital  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
It was a long ride up the coast, riding on the clipped wings of the Tiny Bronco, throughout which Tifa, Cloud and Cid were all deadly silent. Reeve had come to expect this from Cloud and Tifa, but Cid, like Yuffie, seemed never to shut up, no matter how much it might benefit them. Carefully maneuvering - the Bronco was never meant to be used extensively as a boat - Cait Sith pulled himself over to where Cid now sat cross- legged, smoking fervently and staring holes through the propeller, which moved only slightly, as the water's current dictated.  
  
They had just passed the resort town of Costa Del Sol, and were well on their way toward the Northern Continent, and, presumably, the Forgotten Capital. The water was extremely calm, and that unnerved Reeve. Storms along the coast of the Western Continent were usually rather frequent, but they hadn't seen one since. . . well, since he'd met Cloud and his friends. It was as though the Planet itself had become inactive. The feeling wasn't deathly, or, at least not yet, but more of a feeling of tension. Waiting. The Planet was waiting. The Shinra employee shivered, back in his office, and the Cait Sith body mimicked the movement.  
  
Reeve thought about trying to strike up a conversation with Cid, but rejected the idea. Instead, he just joined the chain-smoker in some quiet thought. Eventually, he was surprised to hear Cid say, "Tell my future, furball. . ."  
  
Cait turned to see him, and said, cautiously, "Sorry, Captain. The fortune-teller was the other Cait Sith. This one's pretty much the combat guy."  
  
Cid chuckled harshly. "Right. Guess we c'n always use another *@^#%# muscler. Y'sure y'can't fake it, or some $^%@*# thing like that? Kinda interested, really. . ." Reeve was now aware that Yuffie, Vincent, and Nanaki were all listening in, although they tried not to show it. The only one who actually succeeded in being discreet was the former Turk, but he knew the man always had his ears and eyes open. And, although there was no real basis for it, Reeve had the distinct impression that the man was also sniffing the air, as a bloodhound might to catch the scent of its quarry. A strange, if perceptive, man.  
  
"Oh, I could fake it, but I think I know what the old Cait Sith might have told us. . ." Reeve really wished he could keep his mouth shut. Vincent rustled slightly. Reeve knew he was being subtly chided for an idiot.  
  
"So &#@^$* tell me, then, #^%&! What would #%@&@^ Furball the First say?"  
  
". . ." Reeve was very aware of the irony of his silence. That was exactly what the little slip of paper would have said, in all likelihood. Absolutely nothing.  
  
Cid grumbled, and didn't say anything else. This suited Shinra's head of Urban Development just fine.  
  
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It took two days for the Tiny Bronco to make it all the way up to the Northern Continent, and, for that time, there was an almost maddening silence aboard the tiny plane. Not even Yuffie said much of anything, beyond the occasional "Are we there yet?" Cid was fine with this. He needed some time to puzzle things out, in any case. Unfortunately, he found that he just didn't have enough information to do much more than go in circles.  
  
It still didn't stop him from trying.  
  
When they finally reached the southern shore of the mountainous island, Cid was relieved, for once, to be back on land. It meant they had some kind of direction, again. He took the pack of cigarettes from behind his ear, and shook it over his hand. There was no reassuring feeling of a light, cylindrical shape landing in his palm. He turned it around, looked at it, and then ripped one end wide open. Empty. Damn. Damn, damn, double-damn. Growling, he crumpled the flimsy paper box, and threw it away with an added grunt.  
  
A little irked, now, he turned to look at Cloud, who was disembarking from the beached plane-cum-raft. Cloud was the last one off, and the plane kept shifting, ever-so-slightly, under his weight. Vincent, Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Tifa, and Cid all watched from shore, as Cloud Strife, an ex-SOLDIER and their fearless leader, tripped and fell into the water. For a moment, the man seemed to have simply disappeared, and then he rose from the water, dripping wet, and a fairly grouchy expression on his face. Cid noted with only minor amusement that the man's hair had remained completely unaltered. More than a little interest, but very little amusement.  
  
As Cloud waded ashore, Nanaki gave voice to Cid's observation. "What in the world do you put in your hair?" At Cloud's glare, the cat simply said, "Forget I asked."  
  
Cid asked, "So just where the &$^# we gotta go, Cloud? Where's this &$^#*@ city o' yours?" Completely unaware that he was doing it, he had his spear's point aimed at the ground, and was thumping it against the sand at a rapidly increasing pace.  
  
"Anxious to head into certain danger, are we, Captain?" Cloud answered, grinning snidely.  
  
Cid, deciding that it would be politic to refrain from ripping Cloud's spiky head off, replied, "Anxious t'&$^#*@ help Aeris, kid." Cloud's grin disappeared immediately. Cid seriously considered socking him one, right then and there. It would have felt good. He didn't. Despite Cloud's steadily shortening memory and sense of purpose, he was still the leader. The Planet help them.  
  
Barret spoke up, "Yeah, Cloud. Aeris's s'pos'ta be in this "Fergott'n City" o' yours, but we don' know where th'hell it is!" The large man scratched the back of his head with a corner on his gun arm, and Cid wondered, not for the first time, whether or not the guy ever considered the idea that he might accidentally blow his own head off. Geez. He was getting pretty antsy.  
  
C'mon, kid, say something like "We'll be able to find it," or "Let's find someone and ask." Anything but the truth, they won't understand the truth. Come ON!  
  
To the Captain's dismay, Cloud said, "I can feel her." He turned, pivoting in the sand, to point at a distant line of trees. "She's somewhere over there. In the capital." He looked back at them, and Cid barely kept from shaking his head. Great.  
  
Cid was amazed when Barret stepped forward, and said, "If y'think so, Cloud, then I guess that's where we're goin'."  
  
Cait was next, saying, "Ready when you are, Cloud!"  
  
One by one, the rest followed suit, with Vincent and Tifa both stepping forward second last, at the same time. Cid couldn't help staring, and he was hard-pressed to keep back gales of incredulous laughter. After all the idiotic things they'd seen him do, everyone had complete faith in him as a leader. Cid was the only one having doubts. If Cloud still commanded their respect, maybe there was some hope for him, yet. Cloud looked at him.  
  
"Cid? What about you?"  
  
"What? Ya think I was gonna &#^@*$ come all this way on that &#^@*$ piece-o'-$*#& plane, and then just plant my &#^@*$ ass on this here &#^@*$ beach, gettin' &#^@*$ sand in my &#^@*$ pants, while you assholes go off an' 'ave all th'fun?!" He was grinning. He couldn't help it.  
  
Cloud, brow furrowed, asked, "Uh, does that mean yes?"  
  
"&#^@*$-A, it does! Lead on!" Cid was grinning.  
  
Yuffie piped up. "That's it! Now I know why he smokes so much!" Cloud, brow still crinkled, looked at her. She said, "The cigarettes are really v-chips!"  
  
Cloud grinned, now, and said, "Well, they don't work too well." Barret guffawed. Cid growled at them. "But, even so, I think we ought to get him a pack. He's starting to get grumpy. If anyone needs to wee, go now."  
  
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The trees appeared deceptively close. In truth, it took the better part of the day to reach the woods, trekking across the grassy area which separated it from the beach. Along the way, high-spirits intermingled oddly with an almost somber undercurrent. All parties remained well-aware that they had no idea what they might find when they made it to the Forgotten Capital. However, with the exceptions of Vincent and Tifa, the essential mood was cheeriness.  
  
After a while, Cait Sith struck up a walking song, singing out in a rather tuneful alto voice, high, and far from unpleasant. It lost nothing through the Cait Sith body, and was quickly picked up by a rather enthusiastic and off-key Yuffie, followed by a deep voice which sounded very strange coming out of lithe and youthful Nanaki, in an almost melancholy harmony with Cait. Soon, Cid joined in with a surprisingly pleasant, if a little rough, baritone, and even Barret. Barret sang like Barret. Tifa and Vincent remained silent, although Vincent, if anyone cared to look, could be seen bobbing his head slightly to the music. Cloud grinned, and walked, and traced out the path to where Aeris, and, probably, Sephiroth would be.  
  
Tifa remained pale and withdrawn, opting not to take part in this, the last time when any of them would find some measure of happiness for many days to come.  
  
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At nightfall, they reached a small settlement in the middle of the forest, where there were men digging. Cloud saw a man standing by what seemed to be the ribcage from some enormous animal. The man was fairly small, but compact, and his face was streaked with dirt, as were his clothes. He walked up and asked, "Where are we?"  
  
"Lost, would be my guess," was his gently smiling reply. "This here's an excavation sight." He knocked on one of the ribs, making a very wooden sound. "Only thing beyond this place is a pretty strange forest, and, further north, the ice fields. . . Yup, you gotta be lost, pal."  
  
"Actually," Cloud responded, "we aren't lost at all. Do you know what's beyond that forest?"  
  
"Nope. Ain't none of us been able to get through it." The man shook his head at that, and continued, "Damn thing just won't let us past. No matter how hard we run, we reach a point, and can go no further."  
  
"Well, we need to get through it, so do you know a way?" Cloud scratched the back of his head.  
  
The man was silent for a long time, his face very distant. Then, he suddenly grinned, fixing Cloud's eyes with his own, and stuck out a hand. "Name's Bill Matheson."  
  
Cloud smiled uncertainly, and shook the proferred hand. "Cloud Strife."  
  
"Cloud, eh? Funny name." He studied Cloud's face for another couple of seconds, and added, "Kinda apt, though. I think you'n I got some business to take care of. . ."  
  
". . .Like?"  
  
"First, lemme show you'n yer friends around, kid." He leaned to the side, and Cloud turned to the others. "Who're the rest o' ya?"  
  
Cloud impatiently but dutifully introduced each person in turn. When he reached Cid, Bill jumped in surprise and interrupted. "Cap'n? Ha! It is you! Sorry, din't reconnise ya wi'out the smoke! Whadja do, quit?"  
  
"Quit?! The &#^@ ya mean d'I &#^@*$ quit?! &#^@ no!" Cid bawled. "&#^@*$ ran out, donkey-&#^@. Quit my &#^@*$ ass, &#^@. . ."  
  
Nanaki said, "Translation: I have not quit, unfortunately. I have merely run short of cancer-sticks, kind sir."  
  
Bill's mouth was agape. With one hand, he reached into his back pocket, and fumbled out a small box. He tossed it to the foul-mouthed Captain. Cid caught them, and almost frantically set about shaking one free and lighting it up with his zippo. "Keep'em." Bill turned to Cloud. "Make sure 'e never runs out again."  
  
"Definitely," Cloud added, earning a small nod from the dirt-smeared man. "You know Cid?. . ."  
  
"Heck yeah! I used to be on his crew! You 'member me, doncha, Cap?"  
  
Cid took an enormous drag on the cigarette, causing it to flare all the way up to the filter. He immediately spit that one out and lit up another before speaking, "Yeah, I think I remember you. Used ta be our pilot, right?" Cid paused. "Hey. . . din't I fire yer ass? F'almost flyin' us inta th'&#^@*$ Shinra buildin', right?"  
  
"Uh, right. F'got about that." Bill scratched his head, studying his feet. He looked up again. "Well, I said I was gonna show you bunch around, din't I?" Without waiting for an answer, he began walking, gesturing for them to follow. They did, although Vincent had to nudge Tifa along, her face pale and a little slack. Cid was almost angry at Cloud for not seeing the state that the girl was in, but opted not to make mention. Even he didn't want to pick at some scabs.  
  
There wasn't much to see, really. Bill showed them the areas they'd dug up, adding that they hadn't really found much. Certainly not what they'd been put there to find. When Nanaki had asked what that was, the excavation foreman had simply ignored the question, and moved on. The dig site was situated on a minor cliffside, small enough for a simple ladder to provide access between the upper and lower areas. At the top of the ladder was a small hut, upon which rested a massive skull, probably belonging to the same creature as the ribcage. It was the cook tent, vaguely conical in shape. There was smoke curling out of the empty eyesockets.  
  
Around this upper level grew a wall of trees. It was completely solid, completely impassable, except for a place right at the back, where it grew into an archway. Bill was currently indicating this particular irregularity, and saying, "This's where we went in, before. If you'd like a shot at it, knock yerselves out, butcha won't get anywhere."  
  
Cloud immediately responded, "I believe you, but there's got to be some way through. . ." He was looking at Bill as though the man could somehow supply the answer.  
  
Not surprisingly, he could. "Well, there is a way through, y'unnerstand, but we been set here by Shinra hisself to find it, so that he and his c'n get through."  
  
Cid choked, and said, "Shinra hiredja, even though y'almost flew the &#^@*$ Highwind up 'is ass?" Then, after a moment's pause, what the man had said seemed to finally sink in. Cid spat out a precious cigarette yelling, "THERE'S &#^@*$ A WAY PAST, AND YOU BEEN &#^@*$ WASTIN' OUR &#^@*$ TIME WI'THIS &#^@*$ BULLSHIT!?!?!?" He strode forward, and lifted the smaller man by the collar. "Tell us how t'&#^@*$ pass, asshole."  
  
Bill was sputtering, trying to speak, and, finally, the words came out, "Th'Harp! Th'Lunar Harp! Dammit, man, take a pill!"  
  
Cid responded with a very reasonable, "Yer werkin' fer th'Shinra. We're fightin' th'Shinra. We got us a good-ol'-fashioned conflict of int'rest, here. Not to mention: Yer. Werkin'. Fer. The. Shinra. Asshole." He punctuated each word with a small shake, just enough to make Bill flap with fear. Then, he dropped him. Hard.  
  
Bill was reddening in the face, now. He got up, dusted himself off - a rather redundant act, considering the state he was in - and looked Cid in the eye with a surprising amount of fury. Cloud saw that, in a hand-to- hand fight, Bill might actually give Cid a run for his money. Bill snarled, "Ain't nuthin' wrong with th'Shinra, Asshole! They let me have another job, after you fired my ass. They gave me this here diggin' job. All I gotta do is dig, and say where to dig, and make sure the diggin' gets done. And yer givin' me hell fer that."  
  
Cid's face cleared, and he muttered something incoherent. Then, looking around at the puzzled faces, he said it louder. "Sorry. I fergot y'didn't know 'bout them, Billy. I think you'n I should have us a little chat. . ."  
  
Bill looked confused. Cloud said, "Give us the Lunar Harp, though, so we can continue on our way."  
  
The site foreman said, "First, we ain't got it dug up, yet. Second, we're unner strict orders to hold it fer the President hisself, once we do get it."  
  
Cid shook his head. "Let's talk, Bill." He turned to look at the rest of them, and said, "I'm gonna talk t'Bill 'bout what's been goin' on, lately. You guys're gonna hafta find some way t'occupy yerselves 'til later. Okay?" Not waiting for an answer, he led Bill back to the rib tent. Cloud looked around at everyone else, and also saw that the rest of the workers were staring at them. Shaking his head, he turned and headed toward the strange forest, leaving everyone else to their own devices.  
  
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"Bill, yer werkin' fer the wrong people."  
  
"Wow. Blunt as ever, Cap. Whyzat?" Bill responded, taking a seat in a wooden chair across the desk. The small office was situated toward the back of the "barracks" and offered very little room for a desk as large as this man's. The plank partition that seperated it from the rest of the shelter was decorated with a calendar ("Gurlz of Midgar" it proclaimed), a single-panel cartoon depicting a football game played by tonberrys, and several "inspirational" posters of exactly the type Cid hated. He was ignoring them, this time.  
  
"What if I were t'tellya that they were bad news?" Cid leaned forward, pressing his gloved palms against the oaken desk, which Bill regarded with very little apparent annoyance. In fact, he seemed to be taking this entire thing with very little concern. This irked at the Captain.  
  
"Well, if y'were anyone else, I'd say 'Bull' and toss y'out on yer ass," he replied in a light tone which carried a coolness to it that even Cid heard. Ignoring this, he went on.  
  
"Bill," Cid said in a whiny tone he didn't like at all, "yer gonna hafta lissen up, if y'want t'know why I'm doin' this. . ." Cid sat down, carefully, on the edge of the desk, causing his spear to rattle in its harness. Not really expecting much of a response, the man just jumped right into the story, or what he knew of it, starting with what he'd been told about Jenova, and Sephiroth's past with the company, and eventually making his way to their escape on the Tiny Bronco. From there, it was basically all about their journey on Sephiroth's trail.  
  
When he finished his story, some two hours or so later, Bill was completely silent. The room had filled with cigarette smoke, and there were a number of butts, not to mention burn-marks, on the wooden surface of the desk. Bill appeared to see none of this. He was staring off into space.  
  
Slowly, one hand moved toward a desk drawer, shaking ever so slightly, and opened it. From the drawer, he withdrew a squat little bottle of something. He twisted the cap off, and took a long swallow. He turned his gaze from the air to Cid. He took another long swallow, this time dribbling a little. Cid came to the conclusion that Bill had, indeed, been listening. He was almost sorry he'd doubted the former pilot. Almost.  
  
The man stared at him for another long moment, then leaned forward, offering the bottle to Cid. Cid took it gratefully. He took a few swigs, enjoying the burning sensation of malt whiskey pouring down his throat. He let it slide down for a few seconds before stopping, and placing the bottle on the desk. "Good shit," he said, a little hoarsely, sliding it back to its owner.  
  
Bill looked up at him, nodded, and took the bottle. He downed the remainder in two more gulps. Finally, he said, "Cid, I dunno what yer deal is" - Cid realized with some dismay that the old Bill, whose voice he'd been hearing off and on for the past two hours, was now gone, replaced by this bureaucratic little snot - "but Shinra's never done a damn thing like that, and you know it! Ya used ta work fer 'em, fer Pete's sake!"  
  
Even so, Cid didn't give up hope. Bill had looked uncertain, and that uncertainty, to him, denoted the continued possibility of success. "Bill, lookit those people outside. Cloud used to work fer 'em. He's a former SOLDIER, fer cryin' out loud! And Nanaki. . . ya think 'e got that tattoo during a weekend binge? That's Hojo's doin'! Then there's Vince. Shit, Vince has more'n a few bones ta pick with those guys. They killed ever'one Barret knew, way back when!"  
  
Bill didn't answer for a few seconds, and then he said, "Ya know, ya really have no way to prove something like that. . ."  
  
Cid went on, "And what about Cait Sith? That &#^@*$ toy's really a robot, run by one o' Shinra's execs. Even he's fightin' 'gainst 'em!"  
  
"He could be pullin' yer leg, ya know. You ain't got no way t'tell if he's who 'e says 'e. . ."  
  
A voice spoke up from behind Cid, "Reeve. Head of Urban Development for Shinra Electric Incorporated." Bill's head swiveled unsteadily to see the newcomer. Cid turned, a feeling of relief, and, he'd be the first to admit, not a little pride in the guy. Laying all his cards face-up, just to help them in finding Aeris. Cait Sith's cat face looked more stern than Cid had ever seen it, as he said, "You remember my voice, correct?"  
  
"Muh-Mr. Reeve? Izzat you?" Bill seemed shell-shocked, all the wind gone from his sails. Cid was speechless, for the first time in his life.  
  
Cait - Reeve, he reminded himself (Did he recognize the name? He thought maybe he did.) - said, "Yes, Mr. Matheson. I know my appearance is a little strange to you, but it's me. Shinra doesn't know just how involved in all of this I've allowed myself to be drawn, though. You might want to keep that to yourself, for a bit. They only intended for me to be their informant. Now I'm in it all for good. Shinra's shown their true colors, and made themselves an enemy of. . ." he looked at Cid. ". . .Of my friends. Now, I think that you've actually found this Lunar Harp doohickey, and just plan to give it to Rufus Shinra. We need it. Shinra doesn't know it, but their involvement may make things much worse than they already are." He seemed to be staring, then, and Cid realized that he'd severed the connection for the moment.  
  
He said, "Unnerstand, now?"  
  
Then, the Cait Sith body jumped into sudden life. "Okay, Rufus is sending the Turks to check on things, down here." Bill still seemed pasty in the face. "Bill, I know what my previous orders were, but you've got to listen to me. Our friend has gone off to try and save the Planet on her own. Sephiroth knows, and plans to kill her. If we don't go as soon as possible, she'll die. Since, truthfully, I stopped being a Shinra exec as soon as I fell in with AVALANCHE, I wouldn't be morally right in ordering you, so I'm going to ask you nicely. Bill, please help us."  
  
The excavator stared at him, mouth working, but no words emerging. Finally, he stammered, "I-I-I. . . I guess. . . Uh, okay, Mr. Reeve, Sir. Whatever you say, Sir."  
  
"Man. . . Stop calling me 'Sir', would you? I'm not your boss, anymore, in anything but name, so just quit it!" Reeve turned to face Cid, and added, "So now you know, Captain. That little bit of info is yours to do with as you please, I suppose. It's not like I could stop you if you really wanted to pass it along to Cloud."  
  
Cid was stunned. Just what was he going to do with it? It's not like knowing the name would change anything. However, that was an argument both for and against sharing it. Hell, what did it matter? "Naw. Yer gonna stay Cait fer a bit. Sound good?"  
  
The look of relief which blossomed on the robotic cat's face was almost heartbreaking, and rather amazing, when compared with the air of authority Reeve had just held over Bill the Shinra-bitch. "Sounds great. I mean, I know they already know I work for Shinra, but something about telling them my name. . . Kind of unnerving, you know?"  
  
"Actu'lly, I don't know, but I unnerstand. Y'think, long's they don't know just who y'are, y'might still be able to go back when th'time's right?" Cid shook his head. "Fine. Guess it's up t'you if y'wanna keep ev'ryone at arm's length. Don't 'spect too much trust, though." Nodding to Bill, he turned to leave the office. He paused at the door, and said, over his shoulder, "Fer what it's worth, I do trustcha, Reeve. I seen yer commitment to this. I think maybe others've seen th'same." With that, he stepped out the door, leaving Bill and Reeve to talk.  
  
It took a long time before he realized that his cigarette had burnt right down to the filter and gone out, leaving behind it only a long stick of ash.  
  
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Cid found Cloud sitting just before the strange forest avenue. He was perfectly still, legs crossed, face cradled in his palms. "Hey, kid, we--" Cid began, but Cloud cut him off. "Cid, I know what to do. It's only an idea, and not enough to defeat Sephiroth, but it's a start." He rose to his feet with more grace than Cid had ever seen in him. He stood facing the forest. "What--?" "I understand their value to us humans. They're things to be tapped, used up and discarded, the way we exhaust any of our resources. We're. . . wasteful, that way. But, to the Ancients, they're so much more. . ." "Kid, not followin' ya. What the &#^@ ya talkin' 'bout?" "The mako pools! The springs! Shinra's been using the mako springs as power sources for their goddamned machines! To make money! They use them up, and never realize their true potential! What they can really do! Holy &#^@, Cid!" Sudden anger welled up in the Captain, surprising him with its terrible strength. "Y'just watch th'&#^@*$ mouth, Cloud!" The ex-SOLDIER whirled to face him, stumbling slightly. "Cid?" "Don't look so &#^@*$ s'prised, dammit! A leader's gotta look confident t'the people workin' fer'im. Y've done nothin' t'give make me wanna follow ya. Abso-&#^@*$-lutely nothin'! Y'&#^@*$ wig out every two minutes, y'&#^@*$ act like some rookie pilot on 'is first &#^@*$ mission, 'n y'ignore the people th't really needja! Y'better &#^@*$ shape-up'r y'll 'ave a &#^@*$ mutiny on yer 'ands!" Cloud's mouth worked, but no sound emerged. "Well? Yer tryin' t'&#^@*$ say somethin', s'spit't out, a'ready!" "Uh. . . ignore? Wh-who've I ignored?" "Damn-near ever'body, kid! Jesus! Now, fer some &#^@*$ reason, the rest still got some &#^@*$ faith in y'as a leader. Don't &#^@ that up, Cloud." He paused. "'N think 'bout someone other'n Aeris, once'n a while, &#^@. 'T'll keep yer eyes on th'wheel." "But, Captain--" "Stop &#^@*$ callin' me that! If y'want others t'follow ya, y'gotta stop workin' fer them, and make the little &#^@^& work fer you. That means bein' th'damn Captain they need! I can't &#^@*$ do that for ya! Ain't Barret, Vincent, or Cait c'n &#^@*$ do it, neither! It's all you." With that, he turned to walk away. He paused again, only long enough to add, "Quick tip, Cloud. Whatever y'got floatin' 'round in that spikey-&#^@ noggin' o' yers. . . Keep it t'yerself, fer now. A leader only tells others what 'e's gotta. They completely understand, then that's when they &#^@*$ start t'think yer nothin' special." He walked back toward the excavation site, leaving a flabbergasted Cloud to stare after him.  
  
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Vincent was waiting at the entrance to the forest, along with Tifa, when Cait Sith came bounding up. The cat wore something of a somber expression on his mechanical face. He was also carrying a small stringed instrument.  
  
"So they already had the Lunar Harp on them," Vincent remarked. "I take it we're going, then?"  
  
"Soon's the Captain and Cloud get back, I expect."  
  
"Good. I was getting tired of watching Barret trying to order the other excavators around." He gestured to where Barret was standing, looking down over a digger's shoulder, shouting something. He was rather animated, too, waving his arms around, and occasionally jumping up and down like a madman.  
  
Cait Sith, to the ex-Turk's surprise, chuckled at Barret's antics. Then, he asked, "Uh, where are Yuffie and Nanaki?"  
  
"Well, last I saw, they were out in the forest - the normal forest - doing whatever it is kids do. . ." He trailed off as the the two came trotting back. Nanaki was panting from the run. Yuffie, however, looked quite at ease.  
  
"Hey, guys! You wouldn't believe this awesome materia I found in the Temple! I actually forgot all about it in that mess afterward!" Yuffie was hopping from one foot to the other like a small child.  
  
"That's &#^@*$ great, Yuffs," said a familiar voice, "but I think it c'n wait awhile, don't you?" Cid took a long drag on his cigarette, then tapped away the ashes. He added, "The Leader hisself oughta b'here any time, now."  
  
"I'm right here, Cid!" said Cloud, emerging from the forest behind him. "Got the Harp?" Cait bounced forward, and the moogle tossed the instrument to Cloud, who caught it deftly in one hand. Looking at it, he said, "So this is it, huh? Well, I guess we can go. Ready?"  
  
"Think I speak fer ev'ryone when I say damn-&#^@*$-straight!" Cid raised his spear a little, then lowered it. By contrast, he thought, &#^@*$ spikey-head hotshot's gonna make us march all night, then probably fight when we're all dead-tired. Great.  
  
"Then let's get a move on. Time waits for no man!" With that, he turned and marched into the forest, trusting his companions to follow. Without hesitation, they did.  
  
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Cid didn't know just what to expect, but he least expected the forest to behave like a normal forest. There were no funny lights, no odd twinkling sounds, no movement, no words, nothing. It was simply another stroll in the woods. He grinned, biting down on the filter of his cigarette as they walked normally along the avenue.  
  
Even as he grinned, he walked in the back, keeping an eye on Tifa, who looked like a mannequin brought to life. She shuffled along, without so much as a word to anyone, nervously cracking her knuckles. Just what in the hell had happened to her? He decided to wait for a better time to ask about it.  
  
Up at the front, Cloud and Barret walked, heads together. Cid wondered just what they were discussing, but approved of the marked change in Cloud's leadership abilities. He was starting to get his act together, and it was about damn time!  
  
Vincent was being as silent as ever. This was to be expected. Reeve, on the other hand, was not known to be quiet, so his lack of rousing travelling songs and endless banter were very unsettling. Cid shook his head. Why wouldn't everyone be a little somber? They were off to face Sephiroth himself, and to rescue a friend who may already be dead. . .  
  
Yuffie was running around in the woods, yelling something about her "materia-sense tingling." Squidget could be downright annoying, sometimes. Nanaki, on the other hand, seemed to find her antics amusing to no end, tail flicking playfully as his head followed her progress to and fro.  
  
Eventually, Yuffie yelled, "Stop! I saw one! A materia, in the woods!"  
  
Surprised, everyone else turned to look at her. Barret spoke up, "Th'hell y'talkin' 'bout, Yuffie?"  
  
"DUH! Materia! I saw a red one, in the woods!" She ran over to where Barret stood, pushing past a gape-mouthed Cloud, and began to swing her head wildly from side to side. "What? It's gone!" She ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair, and ran a circle around Barret. "It was right beside you, Big Guy! You didn't see it?"  
  
"'Side me? Dammit, Yuffie, materia don't jus' get up an' move, without bein' seen, y'know! 'S'got a funny glow'n shit like that." Barret was mighty confused.  
  
"But. . . it was here. . ." The materia-hunter was crestfallen. "Aw, forget it!" She went back to walking, but kept a close eye on her surroundings.  
  
Barret watched her, shaking his head, and commenced plodding along. Barely a second later, he felt something hit his chest, quite hard. Reflexively, he stuck out his hand, and caught whatever it was in a ham- sized fist. Unclenching his hand, he looked down at what he'd caught. It was a summon materia. Kjata, it was called. Multi-elemental. Strange little thing. He turned to look at Cloud. The former SOLDIER grinned and shrugged. "Hang onto it," he said. "Might come in handy."  
  
Cid regarded all of this with a slightly disdainful eye, but said nothing.  
  
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They did march all night, as Cid had predicted, and morning's first rays were just lighting the way again when AVALANCHE stumbled from the forest into a large gulley. As the Captain looked about, he could feel Aeris and the Capital clearly. He guessed that Cloud could, too. He even knew exactly which direction it lay. He looked that direction, the length of the gulley. It could barely be seen on the horizon, sort of an inversely conical grouping of trees.  
  
He grimaced. He knew that Cloud would not let them rest until they actually reached the ruins. He was right. Cloud did not even bother indicating that they keep moving. He just took it for granted that they would. They did.  
  
It was around midday when they finally reached it, and it was then that Cloud stopped walking. He simply stood there, and looked around. Paths of pale stone, probably of the same type which had made up the Temple, ran all over the place, apparently at random, and buildings he took to be houses dotted the spaces between. He whistled appreciatively. Cloud looked at him, his face pale, and his eyes unfocussed. "Found her," he whispered.  
  
At that, the ex-SOLDIER toppled forward, going to his knees, and then his face. Cid managed not to shake his head at the man. He said, "Kid finally dropped. Think w'better &#^@*$ get'im somewhere that ain't th'&#^@*$ dirt?"  
  
Reeve spoke up. "Sounds like a plan, Captain." The cave moogle bounded forward and scooped the fallen leader up with one arm. Slinging the blond-haired man over a shoulder, he said, "I'll take him to one of those houses, over there. The rest of you, it might be a good idea to start searching around for Aeris."  
  
"Definitely," replied Cid. "Alright, everyone. I think groups'll be best fer this. Last thing we &#^@*$ need is people gettin' lost. Meet back 'ere b'fore dark. Now, move out!" With that, he turned to follow Cait Sith.  
  
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Yuffie, Vincent, and Nanaki returned from a fruitless search to find Cid and Barret wrestling with a tent, near the entrance to the capital. Yuffie snickered, and Cid looked up. "Great! Y'guys're back! Help me out with this thing, wouldja? Barret can't put up a &#^@*$ tent t'save 'is life."  
  
Vincent shook his head, and said, "What are you two doing? Have you ever TRIED to set up a tent in the sand?"  
  
"Aw we c'n do it, Turk-boy. Cid's on th'job!"  
  
Yuffie said, "Vince's right, guys! Putting a tent up in the sand would be impossible, even if you had twenty trained tent-technicians equipped with tent-Viagra, ya know?"  
  
Cid let out a gusty sigh, and replied, "Y'know, if I c'n &#^@*$ design'n build somethin' like the Highwind, I sure's 'ell c'n put this &#^@&# t'gether! Now, if y'ain't g'nna &#^@*$ help, Cait's over'n th'second 'ouse on th'right, fixin' th'beds."  
  
Yuffie yelled "YES! THANK YOU! BEDS!" and ran off toward the house. Vincent shook his head and followed. Nanaki stayed behind.  
  
After a few minutes with minimal success, Cid looked up at the guardian of Cosmo Canyon, and said, "Th'hell y'want, Fluffy?" It was clear that he was frustrated. Even so, Nanaki spoke.  
  
"Actually, I was just curious as to why you're trying to build a tent out here, when there're perfectly good beds available indoors, with the others. . ."  
  
Barret spoke up, "Red, would you wanna sleep in some ol' dead guy's bed?" He wore a scowl.  
  
Nanaki thought for a moment, then decided that he was glad he could just sleep on the ground quite comfortably. He nodded, then went to find a place for the night.  
  
Night came on. Several hours and three-quarters of a pack of cigarettes later, Cid and Barret had torn the tent in half, and were each using their respective piece as a blanket, there in the sand.  
  
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Okay, so this one wasn't as long as the Temple. So sue me (read: don't sue me). This is just depicting some of the events leading up to the "Big Moment" (-----foreshadowing). I was hard-pressed to put anything resembling an interesting story into it, since not much of anything happens at this point. In any case, the contact info, as usual, is:  
  
my guestbook, which can be found at guns1inger.diaryland.com (yes, that's a one, not an L)  
  
Ree-chan's guestbook, at ree-chan.diaryland.com  
  
Emails - Ree-chan - chaos_vincent21@hotmail.com  
  
- Master Telanis - deschain5@hotmail.com 


	5. Chapter 3: Aeris and Ifalna

Okay, so here it is, an account of the events at the Capital. Up until now, things have been fairly tame, a little light. Not so, here. And remember: This is the way things COULD have happened. It is not supposed to be about how they did happen.  
  
Minor note: It would appear that italics do not transfer over to the online version. There are parts in here where certain characters (*cough*) interact telepathically. I'm afraid it's up to you to figure out just when this is and who's speaking. Shouldn't be too difficult, if I've done this right. I apologize for this.  
  
And now for the obligatory disclaimer. I am not worthy of the characters and places contained herein, because, dammit, someone else thought them up first! Squaresoft, to be precise. Thank them for introducing these fine characters and Aeris to us, shall we? All together, now! THANK-YOU, SQUARESOFT! Now, that said, on with the admittedly very cheeseball show. . .  
  
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Aeris and Ifalna  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
  
  
Captain? Listen to me, Captain. . . It's time. Come, join your friends, please. They need you.  
  
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Yuffie was in the centermost building of the Capital. It was different from the others, in that it was surrounded by trees on all sides, and sat on the edge of a small, artificial-seeming pool. It was a truly beauteous place, during the day, but during the night, the young ninja found it creepy. However, her neverending search for materia had drawn her here.  
  
Luckily, the search had been fruitful in this place. She'd found an Enemy Skill materia earlier, and was just now pocketing something called Comet. Currently, though, her attention was held by an opening in the center of the building, apparently leading downward. It gave her the willies, but she thought it very likely that there was more materia down there. Materia, above all else, was her goal, here.  
  
So she entered the tunnel, and was dumbfounded by what lay beyond.  
  
She was on a crystalline stairway, which spiralled around and down into an equally-crystalline temple. Or city. Or something. It was breathtaking. She simply stood at the top of the stairs and gazed upon it for a long time. After awhile, she saw something down below which made her heart jump up into her throat. Aeris. The girl's head was bowed, and she appeared to be deep in prayer, but it was undeniably her.  
  
Yuffie was ecstatic. She'd found Cloud's friend, and now they could get out of this creepy place for good. She began down the stairs, but then she saw something that made her blood run cold. There was someone else down there. She knew immediately who it was, and tried to call out to Aeris, to warn her, but no sound was able to emerge. Terror had taken her voice. Even so, the man's head snapped to look at her.  
  
His grey hair hung loosely over his shoulders, and he had a long sword in one hand. His green eyes studied her for a moment, and then, grinning, he began to ascend the stairs toward her.  
  
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Cloud was totally silent as he donned his SOLDIER uniform. He did it mechanically and efficiently, without a thought to the process, having done it hundreds of times before. A feeling of expectant nervousness buzzed in his head and tried to push him to hurry. He did so with as much silence as haste would allow.  
  
He could still hear her voice. Aeris was calling to him. She was still alive. Sephiroth hadn't gotten her yet.  
  
As a mad assortment of thoughts whirled in his head, he fastened the Buster to his back.  
  
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Reeve was in his office, poring blankly over some paperwork. They were some forms he had to fill out for Tseng's impending execution. He hated Rufus Shinra for making him do this. He scrubbed tiredly at one side of his head and sighed. He didn't want to fill these out. All of the execs had to agree on this point, so, if he didn't, Shinra couldn't execute the mutinous Turk. However, it would also mean becoming the subject of President Shinra's ire.  
  
He wished he could put the Cait Sith body in his own position. He loved his alter-ego. It let him do what he felt was right, without immediate physical consequences. When he was Cait, he was totally fearless. However, as plain old Head of Urban Development Reeve, he was weak and powerless. Sighing again, he began to put pen to paper.  
  
It was then that he received an alert through his neural connection. Cait's motion-sensors were picking something up. Quickly, he flipped a switch on his neural connection to take a look.  
  
To his surprise, it was not an enemy whom he saw, but Cloud. The SOLDIER was headed for the door. Reeve considered shutting Cait Sith back down, but something in the way Cloud was moving made him stop and reconsider. The blond-haired man slipped through the house's exit. After a moment's thought, Reeve followed.  
  
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Despite Cloud's uncharacteristically quiet movements, Vincent was quickly awake and alert, watching the former SOLDIER leave. He thought seriously about going back to sleep, but when Cait Sith followed after, he decided he couldn't just let him wander off. Grudgingly, noiselessly, he rose from his bed, putting on his holster and securing his cape.  
  
He peered about him, and found that Yuffie was gone. Tifa, on the other hand, was still in her bed. On closer inspection, he realized that her eyes were open. Had she even gone to sleep. . .? He gave a perfunctory scowl as he realized that he could no more leave her here alone than leave Cloud and Cait Sith on their own. He knelt beside her bed.  
  
"Tifa. Are you going to come along?"  
  
Her eyes appeared unfocussed, and he wondered for a moment if she were sleeping with them open. Then, they found his own. His heavily- altered heart went out to her just then. Her gaze betrayed a pain he knew quite well: the knowledge that one has irretrievably lost that whom love the most. She lifted her head from the somewhat musty pillow, and her eyes hardened with determination. Without saying a single word, she had just revealed volumes about herself. He would have smiled, but, as Yuffie would have said, his smiler was broken.  
  
Tifa slid her legs onto the floor, and Vincent averted his eyes while she slipped on her clothes. Broken his smiler might have been, but his blusher was working like a charm.  
  
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Nanaki's sixth-sense, not-unlike the type Vincent had, picked up the movement almost immediately. He snapped awake as Cloud stalked by, along the path. He turned toward the center of town, and continued walking. Something about it made Nanaki nervous. Something was happening.  
  
As if to underline this fact, he saw Cait Sith following along behind the man. He had to get Cid. He rose as if to do so, and saw two more shadowy figures head by. One was Vincent, and the other could only be Tifa. She was slightly unsteady on her feet, but her silhouette was unmistakable. He rose to his feet, and bounded through the sand to where Barret and Cid had made camp, a few metres away.  
  
He found Barret easily. The man snored like a motorboat, and Nanaki had been able to hear him a ways off. He shoved his nose against Barret's arm, rocking the large man. He groaned, but didn't wake. Nanaki growled in annoyance and bit Barret's arm. That did the trick.  
  
Barret was awake quickly, and climbing to his feet, swinging blindly around him with enormous fists. Then, he opened his eyes and looked down at Nanaki. "Shi', boy. . . Don' y'sleep?"  
  
Ignoring the question, Nanaki sprang to the other bundle of canvas, only to find it unoccupied. Cid was gone. Nanaki growled his frustration, and said, "Where's the Captain?"  
  
"Cid? Damn, I dunno. . . Prolly off havin' a smoke, somewhere." Barret scratched the back of his head with his gun-arm. "Why?"  
  
Nanaki shook his head, and said, "No time. Come on!" He sprayed a large cloud of sand as he turned to follow Tifa and Vincent as fast as his feet could carry him. Barret couldn't run nearly as fast, and certainly not as gracefully, but he managed to tail Nanaki.  
  
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Cloud had now broken into an almost-run in his haste to find Aeris. He was certain that she lay within the heart of the Capital. He just followed her voice.  
  
It led him to an unusual building, which looked both primitive and beautiful to his eyes. He thought it a fitting place for Aeris to be. He ran inside, totally oblivious to the train of followers he had amassed. He was focussed solely on finding Aeris.  
  
He ran inside the strange structure, allowing Aeris's voice to draw him like a fish on a hook. He followed it directly into the tunnel in the center. There, he saw Cid.  
  
The Highwind's Captain was crouching on two of the steps of the incredible staircase, hunched over something and concentrating, his spear laying beside him. Cloud didn't know just what it was, and didn't care. He pelted down the stairs toward where he knew Aeris to be, even before he saw her there, knelt in prayer. When he did see her, he lost all sense of himself.  
  
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Yuffie was in bad shape and she knew it. She shouldn't have tried to fight Sephiroth and she knew that, too. Most of all, she knew that Aeris was probably going to die. As well as herself.  
  
Which is why she was surprised when a familiar face appeared above her, smoking a cigarette. "C-cid?" she whispered.  
  
"Jesus, Yuff. Th'hell y'doin' down here?"  
  
"Th. . . thought there m-might be muh. . . muh. . . mmmuh. . ." her lips felt far too thick  
  
"Materia. &#^@*$ materia. 'Course, why th'&#^@ not?" he grumped, feeling around inside his jacket for something. He sighed shakily when he couldn't find it.  
  
"Suh. . . Seph. . . iroth came. I c-couldn't fight 'im, Cid. . . T- too strong. Uh. . . unreal. He. . . he. . ." she couldn't get the words out.  
  
"Shh, shh. . . It's okay, kiddo. Ol' Cid'll 'ave yer fixed up in no time! &#^@*$-A I will!" He was now holding something in his hands, but Yuffie's vision was too blurry to make it out. It took a moment before she realized it was her own hand.  
  
She was so tired. Even the pain in her chest was starting to fade, sleep overtaking her. When she realized she was hearing a smile in the gruff pilot's voice, she wanted to smile, herself. Something hit her cheek. Something wet. Was Cid. . .?  
  
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Cid fought to keep his voice from quivering as he reassured her of the impossible. How the hell was he going to help, now that he'd lost their only Restore materia somewhere?  
  
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At the bottom of the pool, just outside the center building, something twinkled greenly in the night. . .  
  
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Yuffie heard Cid urging everyone to keep on, save Aeris, stop Sephiroth. All the while, he never lost his gentle grip on her hand. Strange, now, to think about what she'd been planning. . . She felt clumsily for the materia she held in her pouch. Finally finding it, she pulled her almost-numb hand from the Captain's grip, replacing it with the other, shoving four little spheres into his palm. Comet, Enemy Skill, Morph, and something which caused Cid to gasp in surprise. He didn't comment otherwise.  
  
Yuffie couldn't see at all, now, and it was an effort to speak. She whispered, "Cid. . . Do me a f-favour?"  
  
"Sure thing, kiddo. . ." the Captain answered, and it sounded to her as though his voice was coming from the other end of a tunnel.  
  
"Kick. . ." she grunted with the strain of making her voice work. "Kick 'is butt, C-cap. . ." The sound began to fade out completely. . .  
  
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Yuffie took one last shuddering breathe, her chest hitching, almost turning the breath into a cough, and lay still. Tears were now coursing freely down Cid's face, as he quietly laid her arms across her midsection, and closed her eyes. This wasn't the way anything was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to lose friends needlessly. He had no way of knowing that she wouldn't be the last.  
  
His face tried to crumple, but he fought mightily against it, and won. He had a job to do. He wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve, and bent to pick up his spear. With a last glance at the young ninja's unmoving form, he turned and began to sprint down the crystalline stairway.  
  
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Barret saw Cloud run toward where Aeris knelt, then pause for a moment, as he found the place where the solid path ended. The rest was obviously a stepping-stone path made out of pillars spaced a couple feet apart. It was only a moment's pause, though, and he hopped along this path as though there weren't evidently miles of free-fall between steps.  
  
Barret jogged forward, past Cait Sith, Red XIII, Vincent and Tifa, and began to hop across the pillars, one by one. On the last one, he missed the jump, catching the edge of Aeris's perch with his hand. He grunted, hauling himself up until he was high enough to throw his other arm up onto the surface. He growled as he pulled himself the rest of the way up onto the platform.  
  
Once up, he saw something that sent shivers down his spine. Cloud was shaking, his eyes rolling. He was reaching jerkily for the handle of his Buster. Barret watched in slack-jawed incredulity as Cloud drew his sword, and the blade clanked down on the ground for a moment. Then, still shuddering crazily, he raised it above his head, and began to move waveringly toward Aeris.  
  
"Cloud! Hell ya doin'?! Damn, boy!" Barret pulled himself to his feet, and threw himself into a run. He came up behind Cloud, and put him into a full-nelson, hauling back with all his weight. Even controlled by outside forces, Cloud was nowhere near a match for the former leader of AVALANCHE. The sheer force of Barret's pull sent them both sprawling back.  
  
Cloud immediately stopped fighting, dropping the Buster Sword to the side, lying back on top of Barret, who was now very winded. He cried, "SEPHIROTH! You son of a bitch! You're gonna pay for that! Miserable bastard! Can't even do your own dirty work, eh?"  
  
Barret, pushing him off, whispered, "Cloud, I don' think y'should egg'm on like that. . ."  
  
Too late. From above, there was a flash of light, beaming directly down on Aeris. Whatever she had in her hands was now blazing brightly.  
  
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Sephiroth watched from high above as a now greatly-angered Cloud Strife - why did that man think he knew him? - got up off of his companion, reaching for that ridiculously large blade of his (such a familiar blade, though the face still eluded him). Cloud looked up at him, and Sephiroth grinned. Now.  
  
He currently held his Masamune out in front of him, aimed downward, both hands wrapped tightly around the hilt. When he descended, it was at such a high speed that the only effort necessary was that involved in keeping the blade straight when he rammed it into the Ancient's back. Some distant part of him cried out in protest and horror, even as he grunted in satisfaction. It crossed his mind that, once upon a time, he might have felt guilt at this. . . Then the thought was gone with the wet sound of the Masamune sheathing itself in the girl, right up to where his hands met. He withdrew the blade.  
  
Cloud shrieked in fury as the girl shuddered once, something falling from her hands. It was that white materia of hers, and it was glowing brightly. Sephiroth wondered briefly if he was too late, if she'd been able to thwart him. It disappeared over the side of the platform, even as he lifted off again, watching as the enraged young man came at him with that sword. He was far out of reach by the time Cloud swung at him. He smiled. Two down.  
  
Mother was proud. She would finish the remaining triflers herself.  
  
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Cloud was still watching in a frustrated rage as Sephiroth disappeared from view when he suddenly found himself unable to breathe. He was choking, and no air was making it into his lungs.  
  
Once, as a boy, he'd been swimming in a pond on the outskirts of Nibelheim with Tifa. To make a long story short, he'd been trying to show off and had accidentally taken a huge breath while underwater. He would have drowned, had Tifa not rescued him, dragged him to shore and performed mouth-to-mouth. The feeling he had now was very much akin to when he'd taken that double-lungful of pond-water, and he passed out, hitting the stone surface of Aeris's former praying platform hard.  
  
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This incarnation of Sephiroth's "mother" looked, for all intents and purposes, very similar to the first one they'd fought. She was a lot darker in colouring than before, but that hardly seemed worth mention. Spreading her massive winglike protrusions wide, she unfolded her arms and raised her featureless head from her chest to look down on those facing her.  
  
From Sephiroth's appearance to that of Jenova, Tifa had been watching apathetically, alongside Vincent. However, when Cloud suddenly went blue and collapsed for no reason she could see, something yawned open inside of her. It was something she'd begun to think was dead. She clenched her teeth and sprang forward, at the same time as Vincent.  
  
She sprinted across the pillars as obliviously as Cloud himself had, almost causing Cait Sith to tumble from his place, and joined Nanaki and Barret up there in front of Jenova. Instead of staying, though, she maneuvered herself around to where Cloud lay. Draping the unconscious man over her shoulder, she headed back to the foot of the stairs, a little more clumsily than before.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Jenova raised her head, looking down at the five strange challengers who stood before her. Two of them, a small cat riding on a rather irritating thing to look at, bounced up and down expectantly. The thing was rather rotund, and had two huge fists raised before it. It was pink.  
  
Another, a human with a dark red cloak and one arm which shined in a way she was unfamiliar with, at least when it came to human limbs, was crouched in a spider-like position, the shiny arm held out before it and the other placed lightly against it's hip.  
  
The other human was a huge man with one arm that seemed to end abruptly in a rather clumsy-looking mechanism. He was growling noisily, like some kind of animal. Had Jenova the ability to think - at least, in a manner which a human would understand - she would have thought: Dork.  
  
The last was a rather fearsome creature with a vague resemblance to a feline. Fearsome to mortals, perhaps, but not to Jenova.  
  
She used the same ability on them that she had on the weakling with the spikey head. What she called it is unimportant, but, when Vincent's Enemy Skill materia picked it up, it translated to Aqualung. Both the large man and the feline creature went down immediately, but the cloaked human and the two strange creatures both kept their feet. Jenova was impressed, but not worried. The human obviously had both incredible self- possession and control, while she'd been picking up something strange from the other, telling her that it wasn't precisely alive.  
  
The cloaked one bent and began to vomit. The other, however, bounded forward and tried to tackle her. She heard a single cry of dismay from it as it was pulled in, which amused her to no end.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Upon recovering, Vincent was not sure what to do when he saw Cait Sith disappear into Jenova, causing little splashes of water-like substance to land on the floor, and on him. Touching it with his real hand, he found, to his complete surprise, that it was indeed water. An idea formed in his head. It wasn't much, but it beat just letting that thing knock them around.  
  
He drew the Quicksilver, taking aim at the monstrosity before him. He concentrated, and prepared to fire the Flamethrower. . .  
  
His concentration was destroyed when he heard someone howling something. He couldn't make it out. He turned to look at the path of pillars. . .  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cid was partway down when he saw Aeris killed. He froze. Too late. They were too late. Then, the woman spoke again. The Princess Guard. The Princess Guard? What the hell was that? Then he remembered what Aeris had said about the Princess Guard and her mother, back at the Temple, and it finally clicked into place. She'd been talking about that damned staff she'd found!  
  
He cast about for it. Where was it? Surely she wouldn't have had it with her while she was praying. . .? Then he saw it, leaning against a small archway. Desperately, he ran the rest of the way down, almost falling, and grabbed it. Now what?  
  
I can save Aeris and your friend. I can also stop Jenova.  
  
Who are you?  
  
No time! Go! Cid went. Screaming, he ran along the stepping-stone pathway, up to the platform where Vincent was trying to bring down the creature on his own. "Mother-&#^@&#!" he yelled, running right up and throwing the Princess Guard like a javelin. It hit Jenova square in the chest, sticking there. Despite the drops of water which sprayed out upon impact, it was as solidly stuck as if it had been thrown into flesh.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Ifalna lashed out from the winged head of the Princess Guard, attacking Jenova from within her corporeal form. Under ordinary circumstances, Ifalna's consciousness alone would not have been enough to defeat Jenova herself, but maintaining a solid form alone that was non- organic took immense strength. Jenova buckled easily, and the water quickly reverted to mostly harmless puddles.  
  
However, as Ifalna returned to the weapon, she failed to notice a single droplet, carrying the consciousness of Jenova's most recent incarnation, as it slid silently across the floor.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
The Cait Sith body landed heavily on the floor as Reeve watched both Barret and Nanaki vomit large amounts of water, just as Vincent had. They were very weak, but strong enough to stand, swaying. Reeve turned to look at where Tifa had carried Cloud, and saw her hugging him as he tried to get up. His face was almost totally slack, but for the eyes. They were roving aimlessly, tears standing in them.  
  
He said, "Cid. . . What did you do?"  
  
"I only did wha'that stick wan'ned me t'do." The Captain seemed as dumbfounded as he felt. He looked at him for another moment before he saw the look on Cid's face change, just a little, as his gaze fell on Aeris, lying in a spreading pool of blood. The man was puffing madly at a cigarette as he picked up that strange staff of Aeris's, and, with a little grimace, placed it in the Ancient's hands, pressing the fingers about it. Then, he stood back and watched.  
  
"Cid? What do you mean by that? What aren't you telling us?"  
  
Cid just shushed him, and pointed at Aeris's still form. Reeve turned to look, and was amazed to see a white glow begin to surround the girl. He was equally amazed when the glow suddenly disappeared, and the staff was flung away, whirling through the air. It would have gone right over the edge, if not for Vincent's superhuman reflexes. The ex-Turk caught it deftly, and asked, "Cid, what just happened?"  
  
Cid's face screwed up, and he spat out the cigarette. He stepped quickly toward the body, and began yelling, "What the &#^@'s wrong now!?!? I did what y'&#^@*$ told me t'do!" Then, he paused, his face going pale, but no less angry. "Jenova, you &#^@*$ BITCH! Let'er go! &#^@!" Another pause. "Yeah, okay. . ."  
  
With that, he got up, and said, "C'mon, Vince. . . Let's go get Yuffs."  
  
Vincent said, "Sephiroth. . . he killed her."  
  
"Yeah. C'mon. Needjer help wi'this'n." Reeve watched as the pair headed for the crystal stairway, and then let his eyes rest on Cloud, who was now up on the platform with them. He glanced over where Tifa had been, and there she still was, on her knees, head down, black hair hanging down around her face, obscuring it. He thought he knew what kind of expression it probably carried, just then.  
  
Cloud walked slowly toward Aeris's still body and, upon reaching it, dropped to his knees, hanging his head in an unconscious imitation of Tifa. Then, he leaned forward, resting his face against her stomach, his wiry form wracked with sobs.  
  
Barret was the first to turn and leave. Next, after a last glance at the two, was Nanaki. Reeve followed him, watching as Barret stopped and helped Tifa to her feet with surprising gentleness. The former leader of AVALANCHE gingerly led her up the stairway.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Vincent was shocked at the extent of the damage Sephiroth had done to the young ninja. She was almost in pieces. He looked at Cid, who was crying again. He was loathe to make the man speak, but he had to know what Cid meant to do. He opened his mouth, but then a woman's voice said, Touch the girl with the head of the Princess Guard.  
  
Surprised, but certainly not about to argue with the disembodied voice - I'm not disembodied - Vincent did as he was told. At first, nothing happened. Then, the same white glow which had begun to engulf Aeris's dead body began to flow over that of Yuffie Kisaragi. Vincent half- expected the same thing to happen this time as happened before, but there was no explosive rejection of the staff. Whatever was supposed to occur was going on right now.  
  
His eyes widened slightly as first he saw bone piecing itself together, then ligaments reattaching to the muscle. The muscles flexed themselves as they were drawn seamlessly together. Organs reinserted themselves where they were supposed to be, and sealed up, fluids finding their rightful places. Finally, the skin sealed it all up. For a long moment, the body lay still. Then, Yuffie's entire body spasmed to the point where only the top of her head and her heels were touching the steps. The glow stopped, and the dead pallor which had been her complexion moments earlier was replaced with a healthy flush.  
  
Her eyes opened.  
  
"Incredible. . ." was all Vincent was able to say. Cid wasn't speaking at all. He tore his gaze from Yuffie and saw that the Captain was too busy smiling to say anything.  
  
Then, he did speak. "Toldja I'd fix yer up!"  
  
"Didja kick his butt, like I asked?" Yuffie croaked. She swallowed, her throat clicking drily.  
  
"Sorry. Got away again. But we're gonna, believe you me. Fer now, why don't we getcha topside, eh?"  
  
"One more question. Why aren't I dead?" She looked extremely puzzled at this one. Vincent couldn't blame her.  
  
"Heh, I'll tell y'all 'bout it in a bit, okay?" Cid was grinning a little. "I got a few questions o' my own t'ask 'er. . ."  
  
"'Her?' Aeris? Did you guys save. . .?" The expression on his face must have been answer enough. "Crud. Now what are we gonna do?"  
  
That was when everyone else showed up. Cait Sith took one look at Yuffie and said, "I'll be. . . You looked like you were in a lot worse shape when I passed by before. Guess the Restore materia worked, then!"  
  
"Not quite," said Vincent. "Where's Cloud?"  
  
"I think he needed a little time with. . . with Aeris," the Shinra employee answered in a small voice.  
  
Vincent nodded. Cid, helping Yuffie to her feet - she was a bit weak, but this was a vast improvement over her previous condition - said, "Let's all get topside. Got some stuff t'talk t'ya 'bout."  
  
"That was my guess," said Vincent, turning to ascend the stairs. Cait Sith was close behind, and the rest followed, with Cid last, supporting Yuffie with one arm and carrying the Princess Guard with his other hand. His spear had been relegated to its harness for the time- being.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cloud stared for a long time at the body of Aeris, trying hard not to see the gaping hole where Sephiroth's sword had torn through her, and failing. Aside from that wound, though, she seemed to be merely sleeping. The healthy flush had yet to leave her face, which was turned slightly to the side so that her closed eyes were looking squarely into his. He could feel her gaze, through the lids, actually see in his mind her incredible green eyes.  
  
Tears continued to stream down his face, even as he smiled. "You did this to stop him. I know that. You've been involved in worse things than anyone should have to be, and you've handled it like a pro. I just. . . I just hope that whatever you were doing, here, worked. It cost you your life, so it better have worked." He paused, and shook his head. "Although, I guess it doesn't change much. He's got some kind of hold on me, I can see that. Even so, I can't rest until I find him and stop him. The son of a bitch has destroyed everything that mattered to me. I've got to settle the score." Another pause. This one for thought. "Come on. The others are probably waiting for us."  
  
Cloud leaned forward, sliding his arms under her. He stood, trying to lift her. Her clothes had begun to dry into the pool of blood she'd been lying in, and tore a little as he did so. He also heard a crackling sound. Hair. He collapsed into a crouch as grief welled up again. He managed to hang onto the willowy girl. "S-sephiroth's gonna pay," he said, his voice coming out as nothing more than a whisper. "J-jesus. . ." He wept. He slid to a sitting position, and remained that way for some time.  
  
He had no idea how much time had passed when he came to his senses again, awakened by an inner alarm. Someone was watching.  
  
Gasping, he looked about him. Nothing that he could see. He looked up into sunlight diffused by the water which surrounded this strange place. Daytime. He'd been down here awhile. Then, he saw what had awakened him. There was someone up on the stairway, their shadow falling on the stone before him. "Who's there?"  
  
The silhouetted figure moved along the stairway, descending. They didn't answer.  
  
Cloud gently lowered Aeris back to the floor, and stood, trying to see. "Who is it?" he called.  
  
Cloud began to worry, but was also beginning to feel a certain eagerness. Surely this must be Sephiroth, returning to finish what he started. Cloud's breath hitched as a scowl bloomed on his face. He drew the Buster Sword. "Come on, Sephiroth! Come get me!" he screamed, turning to follow the progress of the shadowy figure.  
  
The figure stopped, then, and said, a little hesitantly, "Cloud?"  
  
He stopped dead for a moment, letting the voice register. Finally, it dawned on him. Totally surprised, he said, "Teef? That you?"  
  
Tifa didn't answer the question directly, instead saying, "You've been down here all day. We were starting to worry." She resumed her slow but steady progress down the stairs, and Cloud simply watched, not quite sure what else to say, until she reached the bottom. As she made her way over to where he was, she said, "Cid suggested I come look for you. He's got something to say, and you know how he is when he thinks it's important." She was looking him very intently in the eyes. Was she trying to avoid looking at Aeris?  
  
He nodded, and looked at the girl lying at his feet. "We'll be along soon." He didn't say anything else. When he looked up again, Tifa was gone.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Tifa was just handing the Princess Guard back to Cid, who'd passed it around so that no one would think he was nuts when he told them all about the Ultimate Weapons. Cloud emerged from the building, carrying Aeris in his arms. He was drawn and pale. The young man's clothes were all bloodstained from the girl.  
  
Aeris, said the woman who called herself Ifalna. My poor, brave Aeris.  
  
Cid jumped a little at the possessive word, and said, Whaddaya mean by that?  
  
She's my daughter.  
  
Yer kid? Ifalna, yer Aeris's real mom? He was incredulous, watching the broken-hearted Cloud stop to rest the body against a tree. His eyes were still wet with tears. Y'mean yer her &#^@*$ mom'n y'let'er go off'n get'erself killed like that?! Dammit, woman!  
  
I understand your anger, Captain. Please understand, I didn't want her to go, but even the form I am now couldn't stop her from trying to save you all - from trying to save that man, over there - from Sephiroth. Just the same as I believe Mr. Reeve and Mr. Tseng tried to save you all.  
  
Cid took a moment to let this sink in, as Cloud picked his way over to where the rest were, sitting in a smallish circle on the path. He opted not to respond as Cloud stopped and stared at them. Finally, he said, "Cid, what just happened?"  
  
Without a word, Cid leaned forward, and tossed the Princess Guard to Cloud, who caught it absently. His eyes widened as Ifalna spoke to him, and Cid almost smiled when he dropped the staff on the ground. Almost. "Jeez, Cloud, watch whatcher &#^@*$ doin'! We lose'at &#^@*$ thing, we're gonna &#^@*$ be flyin' blind!"  
  
"Sorry, Cid. . ." Cloud was dead-looking. His eyes didn't seem to be able to focus, and he stumbled a little as he bent to pick up Aeris's Ultimate Weapon again, almost stepping on the end and breaking it. Cid's teeth ground a little, but he guessed that Cloud, of all the people here, had the most right to be this way. After all, the girl he'd loved was now dead. He wondered for a moment what Tifa was thinking.  
  
As Cloud came over, gingerly handing him the Guard, Cid looked him in the eyes. "You okay, kid?" he said quietly.  
  
The man looked at him, nodding his head unsteadily. Cid nodded. The hell he is.  
  
He shouldn't be allowed to continue on, but I don't imagine there will be any way to dissuade him. Cid agreed completely.  
  
Nanaki spoke up. "Well, now that we're all here, I think Cid said he has something to tell us?" He gave him a strange look. Cid couldn't read it.  
  
"Hell no! I'm just th'mess'nger! 'Falna's th'one's got somethin' t'say!" Think ya better start with the talkin', here. Then, as Ifalna began to speak, Cid's mouth moved, conveying her words. It was neither Cid's voice nor hers, but both.  
  
"My name is Ifalna, as I've already mentioned to each of you. Cloud, please listen, this is important. Cid is also listening. I'm afraid he doesn't have much choice in the matter." Cid, who could now see his own face, grumbled irritably to himself about being forced out of his own damned body. Cid's lips curved up into an almost smile, but the eyes remained sad. Ifalna reached a gloved hand up to remove the cigarette from his mouth, and look at it, a little disgusted. He protested as she crushed it out under his booted heel.  
  
Toying with the Princess Guard, closely examining the winged head, the woman wearing Cid's body said, "I apologize if I seem rather cold. Being dead, no matter the joy of the Lifestream, can change a person's perspective. You're lucky I haven't turned out like Jessie, the poor girl, going on and on about Cloud and how. . . Sorry." Barret twitched a little at this, but said nothing. "Anyway, I've been sent up here to talk to you about something, but something has changed, too. You'll know about it, soon enough. For now, let's stick to the most important part."  
  
Her voice took on the tone of a school-teacher as she began, holding the Princess Guard up so that everyone could see it clearly. "This is the Princess Guard. It is my physical form, in the corporeal world. You will best understand it as an Ultimate Weapon. Specifically, Aeris. . ." The gruff voice shook a little, and Ifalna paused to take a deep breath. "Aeris's Ultimate Weapon. I am the Princess Guard. I am also an emissary of the Lifestream. One of many."  
  
Reeve spoke up. "If the Lifestream sent you, shouldn't you have the power to stop this all yourself?"  
  
Cid's mouth gave a smile. "You speak as though the Lifestream Itself has sentience of It's own, Mr Reeve." This received a strange grunt from Barret, and a look from Vincent. "I can assure you that It is not one intelligent being, but many. However, this is beside the point. I was sent here in the form of the Princess Guard in order to be a guiding force for Aeris, and in order to aid her in her quest. By lending her my spiritual strength, I was meant to strengthen her magic usage, like that Inverse Barrier you witnessed, earlier. Magic was to be the key to the Planet's salvation. Now, though. . . Things have changed. This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know how this can be. . ."  
  
Cloud suggested, "Maybe someone has been screwing around with your plans?"  
  
"We haven't planned anything. The timeline itself has been affected, somehow." Cid let out a gusty sigh, which quickly led into a coughing fit. "Cid, I think you should quit smoking. This is doing terrible damage to your lungs."  
  
'S'my body, woman. 'Least, it will be when y'give't back!  
  
Ignoring this, Ifalna went on. "I was meant to be a guide and aid to Aeris, but not to any of you. I cannot be of any help, beyond this. After this, I shall rest, along with my daughter, and you will be left to find your own Ultimate Weapons, and the rest of those chosen by the Planet. Only after that can any of you hope to defeat Jenova."  
  
"We're going to have to kill Sephiroth," said Cloud. It obviously wasn't a question, but Ifalna nodded.  
  
"Yes. He carries Jenova, but Jenova did not choose him, as he seems to think. She was placed there."  
  
Vincent asked, more to himself than anyone else, "Who would place such a thing inside of him?"  
  
Nanaki looked at Cait Sith, and said, "When I was in the Shinra tower, one of your doctors had Jenova in some kind of containment dome. . ."  
  
Reeve said, "Professor Hojo. Damn. I knew Hojo was insane, but I never suspected he'd do a thing like this. . ."  
  
"Hojo. . ." said Vincent, "He's the one who did this to me. Is he behind all of this?"  
  
Unnecessarily, Ifalna answered, "Yes."  
  
Reeve said quietly, "It's all our fault. He works for Shinra. We allowed this."  
  
There was no response. Instead, Ifalna said, "There's something else. The good Captain, whose body I am borrowing, is not the same as you all."  
  
The &#^@ y'talkin' 'bout, "not like'em"!? How'm I different?  
  
She answered the question, addressing everyone. "Cid was never meant to be a part of this, and yet he has become one. However, this does not change the fact that he has not been chosen by the Planet. Instead, he has been selected to be the Lifestream's liason. He will be the man to count on in troubled times, and, upon acquiring his Ultimate Weapon, will become a destructive force unlike anything Jenova can offer."  
  
Cid was speechless.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Nanaki.  
  
"I mean exactly what I say. He will be like a god, with his Ultimate Weapon, the culmination of all Weapons. The Lifestream has granted this man an unheard-of amount of power."  
  
Yuffie said, "Up until just awhile ago, I'da thought the Lifestream'd try to LIMIT that guy's power. . ."  
  
Another smile. "Not at all, Ms Kisaragi. It is as I say, because it is as the Lifestream says. Trust in his strength, and you can win."  
  
"Can?" sputtered Cloud. "Seems to me that we're certain to win, if what you say is true!"  
  
"Nothing is certain, now, young Mr Strife."  
  
With that, Ifalna/Cid rose to their feet, and said, "Time grows short. Once your Captain has retaken his body, please lay me to rest with my daughter. Then, follow Sephiroth and Jenova to the Great Northern Crater. Good luck, chosen."  
  
Cid hadn't the slightest idea what to say, so he said nothing as he felt himself drawn back to his body. While he was certainly grateful to be able to feel his legs again, the feeling of return was much akin to being reeled in on a hook, he noted uncomfortably. Once back in his body, though, he looked around him at Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Nanaki, Yuffie, Vincent, and the Cait Sith body, now publicly revealed to be piloted by Reeve, Head of Urban Development for Shinra. Now known to be associated with Hojo, the man behind everything that had happened, however indirectly. With everything that had just been heaped on their shoulders, it was no wonder that they were now silent.  
  
Vincent sat there, apparently pondering the less-than-happy reunion that undoubtedly awaited him - if and when they stopped Meteor from destroying the Planet, Hojo was going to have a lot to answer for. Yuffie kept switching her gaze from Cid to Cloud, who stood and stared at Aeris's body, next to the pool of water. Barret and Tifa both seemed lost in their own respective thoughts, Barret staring at Cait Sith, and Tifa staring at Cloud. Nanaki and Reeve both looked at him expectantly.  
  
He looked at Cloud, and said, "Kid. What's the plan?"  
  
"The plan. . ." The young man sniggered in a way that made the hairs on the back of Cid's neck rise to attention. "The Lifestream doesn't even know what's going to happen, and you're asking me what the plan is. . . Well, the plan is we're going to lay Aeris and her mother to rest, and then we're going to do as Ifalna said. We're going to go after Sephiroth, and we're going to kill him. That's the plan." After a moment, he added, "I really shouldn't be doing this at all, after the way he managed to gain control of my actions, down in that temple or whatever it was, but if the Planet thinks I should, who am I to argue?"  
  
Cloud then turned to face him, and said, "Give me the Princess Guard." Cid thought, Later, 'Falna. He got no response. He flipped the weapon to Cloud, and watched as the young man turned and strode toward where he'd laid Aeris. The Captain, lighting another cigarette absently, turned to stare off into the bush. He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, least of all himself, but Cid was incredibly worried.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cloud stood out in the pool, on the edge of a drop-off, as the others looked on in silence. Draped in his arms like a rag-doll was Aeris. He now stood, looking down at Aeris's face. Her eyes had been closed and her blood had begun to coagulate, so now she looked as though she was merely sleeping, except for a terrible pallor in her skin. To Cloud, she was totally beautiful.  
  
He half-expected the tears to come again, but there weren't any tears left. They'd all been shed already. Now, there was only a slack-jawed and dismayed depression inside of him. And anger. He knew anger had no place in Aeris's makeshift funeral service, but there it was. He pushed it down inside. It would get its dues later.  
  
He leaned forward, aware that he could topple into the deep water rather easily, and not entirely sure if he wouldn't just hang onto Aeris, all the way down. He didn't care. He leaned closer to her face, and pressed his lips against hers. He'd never been able to kiss her in life, so he did it now. Then, he lifted his head again, looking down at her sadly. His voice seemed to have gone to the bathroom, so he mouthed the words I love you, Aeris. Goodbye.  
  
He placed the Princess Guard in her grasp, wrapping her rapidly stiffening fingers around the shaft, and made sure she'd hang onto it. When he was as certain as he could be. He removed his arms from beneath her, allowing the water to take on her weight, and spread apart beneath it. She floated on the surface for a moment, and then began to sink. Cloud watched as she sank deeper and deeper. He did not shift his gaze until she was obscured from view.  
  
When she was, he looked up at the others. They were all looking at him. Barret's eyes were red-rimmed, as were Cid's. He didn't say a word as he waded back to dry land. He took a moment to shake some of the water out of his clothes. Then, he said, "Sephiroth's going down."  
  
Everyone began to disperse, turning and filing back out into the city proper. Cid, however, remained behind. "Something wrong, Captain?" asked Cloud, somewhat mockingly.  
  
"Naw. Just think y'should keep'n mind this ain't a matter o' revenge. We got more on our plates'n that." Cid wasn't sure what else to say, so he just closed his mouth and waited for Cloud's response.  
  
Cloud looked at him for a moment, then his face twisted into a snarl. He stepped forward, and grabbed the front of Cid's jacket in both fists. Then, he looked the Captain right in the eye and said, "He killed the only girl I've ever loved, destroyed my home, wrecked my life. What would you do if you were me?"  
  
Cid saw something in the boy's eyes that he hadn't seen at all until now. Resolve burned there like flames in a hearth. "'Bout damn time, kid. Sh'we kick'is ass, then?"  
  
"Let's." Cloud let go of Cid, and walked out. Cid straightened his jacket, and followed.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Reeve looked at the papers in front of him, and again raised a pen to sign them. Then, he stopped. He shook his head, grabbing the form from his desk, and crumpling it into a ball. He threw it into his wastebasket, in the corner. Three-pointer. For now, he could pretend he hadn't received the forms at all.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Yes, the Yuffie thing was totally accidental. It just happened, and I agonized for at least a couple days on how I could remedy the situation. I think it worked out okay, as does my creative consultant, FF expert, and slave-driver, Ree-chan. Oh, uh. . . Ignore that last one, lol.  
  
Also, if Luky is reading this, I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY. Yes, Aeris is very, very dead. If you want Aeris alive, play the Japanese version. It's what the third disc was meant for, rather than those lame-ass Ruby and Emerald Weapons. Cheap bastards. The Weapons, not the Japanese, lol.  
  
And here's the part where I tell you how to get ahold of us with praise, complaints, flames, viruses (me fail English? that's unpossible!), and spam:  
  
-Ree-chan: - email at chaos_vincent21@hotmail.com; also, she's got a guestbook accessible from ree-chan.diaryland.com.  
  
-Master Telanis: - email at deschain5@hotmail.com; also, my guestbook is accessible from guns1inger.diaryland.com (I suggest this one, as my inbox is set to exclusive. 


	6. Chapter 4: Icicle Inn

Sorry this took so long. It would've been up more than a month ago, except for a few unexpected details.  
  
Anyway, it hardly needs to be said, but NONE of this belongs to me. It's all Square's fault. Blame them. Now, on with the show!  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Icicle Inn  
  
by Master Telanis and Ree-chan the Great  
  
Nestled in the mountains of the Northern Continent lay a small village. Placed at a point which overlooked the Great Glacier, its inhabitants called it Icicle Inn, although it was more of an expanded outpost for travellers heading down onto the Glacier itself. It contained all of the necessities for travel: a weapons shop, medicines, inn. It also contained a small number of houses and lodges, making it resemble a miniature rest-stop for tourists. The motley group who staggered into it, covered with snow, were not tourists.  
  
Everyone was giving Barret a wide berth as he stomped through the snow until he was at the center of the tiny circling of buildings. He shook himself, sending cascades of white fluff pouring off of his broad shoulders and his head. Then, he said, "Gonna find sommin' t'drink," and stomped off.  
  
Cid shivered, holding rubbing his hands up and down his forearms. "Pretty &#^@*$ cold 'round here, eh, Reeve?"  
  
"Oh, I've got no problem with it, Captain. Got the exterior sensors turned off."  
  
Cid grumbled about the size of the Cait Sith body, the probable diameter of Reeve's ass, and what one would more-than-likely have to do with the other in the near future.  
  
Apparently not hearing this, Reeve guided the robot forward, saying, "I'm gonna go make sure Barret doesn't get into trouble."  
  
Tifa was just wandering away, and Cloud called after her, "Teef, where ya going?"  
  
She looked up in surprise, then said, "Just gonna check out the weapons place." Her eyes kept shifting from place to place, never resting on any one thing.  
  
Cloud responded, "That actually sounds like a plan. Hang on, I'll come along." Tifa looked surprised, her eyebrows hiking right up to her hairline, but she just nodded silently.  
  
Cid wondered for a moment if Aeris's death meant Cloud and Tifa could become as close as they had been. Then he felt a flush of guilt at the thought. He hid it by taking a huge drag on his last cigarette, and grunting. He said, "Think that drink sounds pretty &#^@*$ good, right about now. . ."  
  
Yuffie piped up, saying, "You never did explain what happened, back there, ya know?"  
  
He huffed. "C'mon, then. I'll tell y'all 'bout it over a beer."  
  
Her eyes lit up at the word. "Really?"  
  
"Don't get so 'cited, pint-size. Yer gettin' a cola." Cid grinned.  
  
The wind went out of her sails. "Aw, geez. . ."  
  
Nanaki said, "Where's Vincent?"  
  
Cid looked around, and shook his head. "Guy's always goin' off on 'is own. 'E'll be back."  
  
"I guess. . ." Nanaki didn't sound very convinced. Cid pretended he hadn't noticed.  
  
"Yeah. Red, why doncha go see 'bout gettin' some info on this place, while Yuffs'n I discuss some things?"  
  
"Oh, absolutely! Because you humans are extremely receptive to talking quadrapeds. . ." Nanaki answered sarcastically, wandering off.  
  
Cid and Yuffie trudged through the snow toward the inn, where Cid assumed drinks could be had. Shivering, he decided he'd settle for something a bit warmer than a beer. Like a warm beer.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
The man running the inn had directed Barret and Reeve to a door leading into the basement, where the pub was. The basement was rather dim, but not uncomfortably so. Very weak neon liquor signs afforded it a little light, providing a sort of warm atmosphere, despite the feeling one got upon entry which told them not to cause a ruckus.  
  
Barret plopped down on a stool, and ordered a pint of the strongest stuff the bartender could find. Reeve hopped up to the stool next to his, and the cat part transferred itself from the moogle to the seat. "Neat trick, Reeve," muttered Barret, a little sardonically. He took a long draught from his mug, and winced.  
  
"Just one of the little touches that was supposed to. . . well, add to the realism," replied the executive. "I'm sorry if I was a little quiet on the walk here. I'm sure you had some things to say to me, or questions to ask, or something."  
  
"Yeah? Like what?" Barret belched, and asked the bartender for a refill.  
  
Reeve sighed, and said, "I know you knew who I was, as soon as Ifalna called me by name. That twitch was one of surprise." Barret opened his mouth to protest, but Cait held up a hand, saying, "Don't bother with it, okay? There's no reason you shouldn't know, anyway."  
  
Barret remained silent for a long time, and said, "Yeah. . . Actually, I had'n idea when y'said whatcha said'n Cosmo Canyon. 'Bout it bein' a long time'n all. Dunno jus' why I'd think it based'n that. Lots'o'people come fr'm 'at place."  
  
"Including the man who started AVALANCHE, I know. Yes, it was me."  
  
Barret nodded, and said, "Tell me 'bout it. How c'd a guy fr'm Cosmo Canyon start up an' outfit like AVALANCHE, 'n then join up wi'their enemies?"  
  
"Long story. Are you sure you want to hear it? It's a bit sordid." The cat's face was solemn.  
  
"Think I need t'hear't, C- Reeve."  
  
The cat settled itself into something that looked like a comfortable position, mirroring the movements of its controller, and then said, "I suppose I should start with when I left my home in the canyon.  
  
"I was only fifteen when Bugenhagen sent me to Midgar. He told me he'd seen my soul, and knew I was meant for greater things than Cosmo Canyon. When I asked him what he meant, he only smiled. Then, he handed me a gun - to this day, I have no idea where he acquired such a thing - and sent me on my way, telling me only of a city of machinery to the east of home. I was to go there, and join something called the 'Turks.' At that point, I had no idea who or what these Turks were, but I knew that Bugenhagen was seldom wrong about these kinds of things, so I went east.  
  
"I had a little trouble getting through customs in Costa Del Sol, dressed as I was in fairly primitive garb, but, aside from that and a run-in by chocobo with one of the Midgar Zolom's nastier relatives in the swamps, the journey was long but uneventful.  
  
"But Midgar was incredible, constructed almost entirely from machines, and. . . Well, I guess you already know what Midgar's like. Anyway, when you come from a place like Cosmo Canyon, Midgar's a very strange place. And when your first impression is of the slums, then you're both overawed and depressed. The very lack of sunlight is disturbing, but, then, I guess you know that, too.  
  
"I spent a year just finding my way, there. I asked about, looking for information on these Turks, but no one was very forthcoming. However, I did find out quite a bit about Shinra. It wasn't much, but it was enough to know I didn't like them. They were a corrupt company. That much was clear.  
  
"In my year's stay, I had made a few friends in Midgar, and we all sort of put up together in the Sector 7 slums. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie. . . They were my friends, for a short time. We did our best to stand up for the downtrodden in Midgar, but we were really only four people standing up to a whole city of corruption. We might have saved a life, here and there - mostly people Shinra's soldiers were chasing for one reason or another - but we hardly put a dent in Shinra's armor. And, all the time, something I'd heard about Shinra nagged at me."  
  
"Th'Mako reactors?" mumbled Barret, who was now well on his way toward drunk.  
  
"Yes. I'd been raised to know a lot about the Lifestream, and what they were doing was putting the Planet itself in danger. I'd explained this to the others, and it was Wedge who came up with the idea of fighting Shinra directly. We started with fliers. . .  
  
"It was while actually in the act of putting up these fliers that I was captured by one of the Turks, a grey-haired man, and the black- haired youth he was training. I'd never seen them previously, or even heard of them. Damned if I know why. Whatever the reason, I at first mistook them for a pair of uppity men in suits. He inquired as to what I was doing, putting up these fliers in Wall Market, and I explained to him about me and my friends - I never gave names, of course; I wasn't stupid - and about the dangers of Shinra's rule.  
  
"The man with the grey hair nodded to the youth - he called him Tseng."  
  
"I'll b'damned," said Barret.  
  
"Yeah. He and I are roughly the same age. He's actually a couple years younger, I think. . . Yeah, I'm looking at his file, right now. . . He was inducted into the Turks at age fourteen, so he's about thirty-two, now.  
  
"Anyway, Tseng nodded unsmilingly, and came toward me, incapacitating me with surprising economy of movement, for a smaller boy. He caused no unnecessary injury or pain. He was just a kid doing a job. Looking back on it, I would later find some respect for the boy inside of me. At the time, though, I was angry. I mean, there I was, a sixteen-year-old youth, being bested by a kid two years my junior. But they took me in to Shinra headquarters.  
  
"Tseng came to see me frequently in the sixty-seventh floor holding cells, and told me that I would probably be executed for open rebellion against the city itself. He didn't seem to feel either joy or sorrow at my predicament. He'd probably been trained that way. We were both surprised, however, when Heidegger came down one day, and offered me a job in the Turks.  
  
"I, of course, was a little surprised, but I accepted the offer. Bugenhagen had sent me to join them, after all, although the reason for that is still unclear to me. And. . . I suppose I just didn't want to die, either. If joining the Turks could keep me alive, I was willing to make that sacrifice. So I began my training.  
  
"I'm not going to bore you with the specifics of the incident which ended in my transfer to Shinra's Urban Development department. Let's just say I could never really see Shinra's side in any of the problems they had with Midgar's citizens.  
  
"When all was said and done, I was in Urban Development, where it was discovered that I had a knack for helping to clean up Shinra's messes. Yippee.  
  
"Some years passed, and Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie continued to put up unsigned fliers about the danger Shinra posed for the Planet. Eventually, they did begin to leave their mark. At the bottom of each flier was the word AVALANCHE. It was a good idea, but, even so, the President used it against them. They were marked as a terrorist group, and Shinra staged an 'accident' in Sector 2, and blamed it on them. That was the first time things really got bad.  
  
"Then, I was around to hear about the destruction of your hometown, Barret. I had nothing to do with it personally, but I was still a part of it. All of the Shinra employees were. I think that must have been the point where I gave up trying to work from behind enemy lines. I'd actually fallen in with the enemy, and I knew it.  
  
"When I heard that AVALANCHE was on the rise, with a new guy at the head, I gained a little hope. If my former friends were really going public, then they must have had something planned. The new leader, a big guy, had a serious hate-on for Shinra, after the slaughter at North Corel. Barret, I don't know what I can say, but. . . you gave me hope. That's all there is to it.  
  
"Nothing happened for another five years, or so. . . Then, I heard about some new guy, claiming to be a SOLDIER, but fighting for AVALANCHE. I heard that AVALANCHE had blown up a Mako reactor, and then another. You had the Turks mightily upset, you know. Even moreso than the President. The order was given to destroy the Sector 7 Slums.  
  
"I tried to convince the President that there had to be another way of taking care of this, but he was determined to wipe you guys out, once and for all. . . They dropped the plate, and people died. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie. . . That's one of the reasons I fight alongside you all, now. Shinra's destroyed countless lives, and put the very Planet in danger."  
  
Barret nodded unsteadily. He opened his mouth to speak, pointing at Cait Sith. He didn't say anything, however. He just lowered his hand again, and took another long drink. Then, he opened his mouth, and said, "Sh'r's nex', Ruv. F'ss Seph, 'en th'Sh'ra." He nodded again, this time more enthusiastically, before sliding sideways off his stool and landing on the floor.  
  
People glanced their way, but then went back to what they'd been doing. Reeve sighed.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Yuffie sat there in silence, and Cid waited on her response. Explaining to someone that they are formerly deceased is by no means a simple task. Explaining that Jenova had prevented Ifalna from resurrecting her own daughter but allowed her to raise a total stranger from death was no easier. When he'd begun to relate things to Yuffie in earnest, she'd at first laughed. When he hadn't even cracked a smile, the laughter had tapered off and the young ninja had just goggled at him.  
  
He puffed away at his last cigarette as Yuffie stared palefaced at the table. Her untouched coke (which he'd finally allowed her to have mixed with rum) was raised to her lips, and she downed it in a few long gulps. Then, she'd smiled a little, and said, "Oh, is that it?"  
  
This caused him to inhale sharply. His cigarette lodged in the back of his throat, and he began to choke. Hacking wetly, he spat the sodden cancer-stick out onto the table, glad it had gone out on the way in and at the same time sorry to see it wasted. He nodded, still coughing.  
  
Still smiling, she said, "Looks like I'm gonna have some stories to tell when I get home." She giggled.  
  
He grinned sheepishly. Showed how much he knew about kids. "If we're lucky, y'll be home soon. 'N th'meantime, guess w'should &#^@*$ round up th'others'n-"  
  
A man said, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing you talking about Ifalna. Are you friends of hers?"  
  
Caught totally off-guard, Cid was speechless. Yuffie, on the other hand, was not. "You could say that. Who are you?"  
  
The man was largish, and sporting an apologetic expression, which offset his heavy build and overabundance of facial hair, which had apparently migrated from the top of his head. He chuckled. "Sorry, fellas. I didn't mean to startle ya. Name's Morgan. It's just that I don't think I've seen you two around here, before. You with the weird pair over at the bar?" As he said this, as if to make a point of the fact, there was a loud thump. Morgan, Cid, and Yuffie all looked up to see Reeve attempting to help Barret back onto his stool. The large, black man was swaying quite badly, obviously drunk. Cid swore.  
  
"Yeah. Them, too," he said.  
  
"Well, this might seem a little odd, but I wouldn't have expected out- of-towners to know much about Ifalna. How's she doing?" Morgan pulled a chair over, apparently taking their notice of him as an invitation to do so.  
  
Cid replied, "Uh. . . Well. . . Y'see. . . Uh, jus' how d'ya know'er, again?" Curiosity pounded in his already throbbing head.  
  
Morgan laughed. "Yup! Ya know'er alright! No one ever knows a Cetra without bein' careful around the topic. . ." He stopped for a moment, and said, "You guys work for the Shinra?"  
  
"Huh? Uh, &#^@ no. Why?"  
  
Morgan laughed again. "'Course ya don't. Shinra already got'er. . . Why would they come back?"  
  
"Lissen, pal. Ya gonna &#^@*$ get t'the point any time soon? This's gettin' real &#^@*$ old, real &#^@*$ quick." Cid already wanted another smoke.  
  
Morgan was decidedly a good-natured if obtuse fellow, which he proved by laughing again. "Okay, okay. So how is she?"  
  
"She's been &#^@*$ dead fer over twenny &#^@*$ years. Whaddaya want?"  
  
Morgan, to Cid's surprise, looked absolutely crestfallen at this news. "Damn. I'd heard she escaped from Shinra. . ."  
  
In as pleasant a voice as his growing bad mood could muster, Cid said, "Didja know Ifalna?"  
  
"Know'er? Most everyone in this town knew'er! She was well-loved 'round these parts. She was always really nice to whoever she met, and tried to lend a hand with things wherever she could. . . Lived in a house, over by the snowboarding slope, with some kinda doctor who worked for Shinra. . ."  
  
"What? Doctor?" Cid got up from his seat, and grabbed Morgan by the collar. He said, "This's real &#^@*$ important. What was th'name o' the doctor?"  
  
Morgan, looking understandably unsettled, said, "Damned if I know! Geez. . . Y'can probably find out at their house!"  
  
Cid allowed this to soak in, and then nodded. Letting go of Morgan, he asked, "Where's that?"  
  
Yuffie put her face forward, resting it on her arms, and went to sleep. Cid grumbled, and Morgan began to respond.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Vincent stood in the snow at the top of the slope, looking down at it. Presumably, beyond it lay the Great Glacier. Beyond that, the Northern Crater, where, if Ifalna was to be believed, they would find Sephiroth. Things were coming to a head.  
  
Someone had once told him an Ancient had lived in Icicle Inn, and that, as far as she knew, the house was still there. This, of course, had been twenty-three years previous, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look. He turned around to begin his search and saw a familiar suited form standing up at top of the light slope on which the town lay. He groaned inwardly as the blond-haired woman said, "There's one of them! Hurry!" Flanked by two Shinra guards, Elena of the Turks came running down toward him.  
  
He stood and watched as she neared, finally skidding to a halt with even less grace than he would have expected. She stopped, panting to catch her breath as both guards watched her, each with a bored expression on his face. Vincent totally agreed with the sentiment. Finally, still breathing heavily, she said, "Valentine. . . I won't let you and yours go any further!"  
  
"You really think that you and a few guards can stop us?" Daylight was wasting. Why now, of all times?  
  
Elena went red, and her voice began to go shrill. "Yes! I do! You aren't getting away with what you did to my boss!"  
  
"Your boss? Tseng? As I recall, we kept him from dying."  
  
"He's gonna be executed because of you all!" She paused for a moment, and Vincent thought he saw tears in her eyes. Then, her face twisted into a snarl, and she threw a punch. Vincent easily dodged it, turning to the side. Elena gave out a yell of surprise as the force of the punch made her lose her balance, causing her to trip and start rolling down the slope. She began to pick up speed in her tumble, and both guards ran after her. Vincent shook his head.  
  
"Vincent!" said a voice, and he turned again, this time to see Nanaki running toward him. The Cosmo Canyon native slid to a halt in front of him and said, "I've been looking all over for you guys! I need someone with fingers, dammit!" Vincent stood and waited for him to explain, but he didn't. Instead, after a few moments, the feline said, "Come on, let me show you what I found!" and ran back the way he came. Vincent followed quickly and silently behind.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
The electronic equipment which dominated one side of the house appeared rather haphazard to Vincent, and far beyond operation, but he decided to give it a shot, anyway. He was having minimal success when the door opened, letting in a gust of cold air. He turned to look as Cid stepped in, knocking the snow off his boots by banging them loudly on the steps. He looked up at them, and grinned in what was more a snarl than anything.  
  
"Hey, Cid! Guess whose house this is!" said Nanaki.  
  
"'Falna's."  
  
"Uh, good guess. I found some stuff with her name on it, what about you?"  
  
"Some guy at th'bar told me 'bout this place. She'n some &#^@*$ doc from Shinra shacked up 'ere for a few years. If it was &#^@*$ Hojo, I'm gonna &#^@*$ break somethin'. Then, I'm gonna find a way t'&#^@*$ talk ta her again. I got some questions for her."  
  
Vincent spoke up. "I doubt it was him. Cid, can you fix this monitor?"  
  
The Captain grinned, reaching for the cigarette which wasn't there. When he realized this fact, the grin disappeared. Even so, he said, "Move outta th'way. Ol' Cid'll 'ave this baby up'n runnin' in a jiff! Hey, kittie-cat, why doncha go t'the store'n get me some &#^@*$ smokes while yer at it, eh? Now, lessee what's wrong wi'this thing. . ."  
  
Nanaki nodded, and climbed the steps to the door. Rearing up on his hind legs, he pawed at the handle until it opened, and left, allowing the wind to blow it shut behind him.  
  
Vincent examined the various journals and texts in the room. "The man seems to be a biologist by the name of Professor Gast. Relieved?"  
  
"Damn right," called Cid, his voice sounding hollow from its current position in an opening at the base of the machine. "Got good news and bad news. Which ya want first?"  
  
"Either works."  
  
"Okay, bad news first. I can't fix this &#^@*$ thing. It's just too old, been broken fer too long."  
  
"And the good news?"  
  
"Two things. First, this's a video-player, and hasn't actually gone yet. If we're lucky, it'll run fer a few minutes. Second, lookit what I found in here. . ." He pulled his head out, reached his arms in, and grabbed four video tapes. He tossed them to Vincent, one-by-one, and the ex-Turk caught them, looking at the labels.  
  
"'The Original Crisis,' 'What is "Weapon?"' 'Confidential: Daughter Record, 10th Day After Birth,' 'Confidential: 20th Day After Birth. . .' Tapes about Aeris and her mother. Let's put them in and see what's on them." Cid nodded. Vincent set three of the tapes on the table, and walked over to the monitor. He scanned all the little dials and buttons, until he found a switch marked "Power." He pressed it. There was a grinding noise, the cracking sparks, and the screen roared into life. He found the tape slot, and inserted the tape marked "The Original Crisis." He and Cid watched each video in what they guessed was the proper order from the numbers on the labels.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
The Original Crisis  
  
A voice said, "Camera's ready."  
  
The video appeared to be of this very room, only in much better shape. Standing by a console was a man in a lab coat, and, standing by the table, was a woman with chestnut hair. Cid's breath caught. It was Ifalna. The man turned around to reveal a boyish face, offset by a thick mustache. The man said, "Then, Ifalna, please tell us about the Cetra."  
  
Ifalna took a deep breath, and began. "Two thousand years ago, our ancestors, the Cetra, heard the cries of the Planet. The first ones to discover the Planet's wound were the Cetra at the Knowlespole."  
  
"Tell us, Ifalna. . . Where is the land called 'Knowlespole'?"  
  
"Knowlespole refers to this area. The Cetra here began a Planet- reading."  
  
"Ifalna, what exactly does a Planet-reading entail?" inquired the man whom Cid now assumed was Professor Gast. He'd known of the man previously, but had been very young when news of the professor's death reached the world. He hadn't ever seen him before.  
  
Ifalna paused. ". . .I can't explain it very well, but it's like having a conversation with the Planet. . . It said something fell from the sky, making a large wound. Thousands of Cetra pulled together, trying to heal the Planet. . . But, due to the severity of the wound, it was only able to heal itself, over many years.  
  
"Do the Ancients, rather, the Cetra, have special powers to heal the Planet?"  
  
"No, it's not that kind of power. The life force of all living things on this Planet becomes the energy. The Cetra tried desperately to cultivate the land so as not to diminish the needed energy. . ." Ifalna's voice cracked.  
  
Not noticing, Gast said, thinking out loud, "Hmm. . . Even here so close to the North Cave, the snow never melts." Then, he asked, "Is that because the Planet's energy is gathered here to heal its injury?"  
  
"Yes, the energy that was needed to heal the Planet withered away the land. . . then the Planet. . . The Planet tried to persuade the Cetra to leave the Knowlespole, but. . ." She seemed on the verge of crying, now.  
  
Gast, apparently sensing this, said, "Ifalna, let's take a break."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm alright. . ." Continuing on, she said, "When the Cetra. . . were preparing to part with the land they loved. . . That's when it appeared! It looked like. . . our. . . our dead mothers. . . and our dead brothers. Showing us spectres of their past."  
  
"Who is the person that appeared at the North Cave? I haven't any idea."  
  
"That was when the one who injured the Planet. . . or the 'crisis from the sky,' as we call him, came. He first approached as a friend, deceiving them, and finally. . . he gave them the virus. The Cetra were attacked by the virus and went mad. . . transforming into monsters. Then, just as he had at the Knowlespole, he approached other Cetra clans. . . infecting them with. . . the virus. . ." She paused.  
  
Gast said, "You don't look well. . . Let's call it a day."  
  
What is "Weapon"?  
  
"Ifalna, can you comment on the thing called 'Weapon?'" asked Professor Gast.  
  
Standing in her usual place, she said, "Yes, Professor. The one the Professor mistook for a Cetra. . . was named Jenova. That is the 'crisis from the sky.' The Planet knew it had to destroy the 'crisis from the sky'. . . You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully heal itself."  
  
"Back then, Weapon was a weapon the Planet produced of its own will?"  
  
"Yes, but. . . there is no record of Weapon ever being used. A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. The Planet produced Weapon. . . but it was no longer necessary to use it."  
  
"So, then, Weapon no longer exists on this Planet?"  
  
"Weapon cannot vanish. . . .It remains asleep somewhere on the Planet. Even though Jenova is confined, it could come back to life at some time. . . The Planet itself has not fully healed itself yet. It is still, watching Jenova."  
  
Gast paused for a moment, and then asked, "Where is Weapon?"  
  
"I don't know. . . I can't hear the voice of the Planet well. . . Times. . . have changed. The Planet. . . is probably watching this situation closely."  
  
Another pause. ". . .Thank you, Ifalna, that will be all for today. . ."  
  
Confidential: Aeris 10 Days After Birth  
  
This one remained in total darkness for the entirety of the tape.  
  
Ifalna's voice said, "What are you doing, Profes. . . I mean, honey?"  
  
Gast's answered, "Oh, I'm thinking of taping it on video. But the video's not working right. . ."  
  
"What are you going to tape? Is there still something I haven't mentioned?"  
  
"No, that's not it. I'm going to record my beautiful daughter. And, when she's sleeping, her face. . . looks like an angel."  
  
"First, we have to figure out her name. We can take the video later!"  
  
Gast responded proudly, "I've already decided! If it's a girl, then it'll be Aeris. That's that!"  
  
Ifalna giggled. "You are SO selfish! But Aeris is a good name!" The giggle started to turn into a laugh as she added, "It's a good name, considering it came out of that forgetful head of yours!"  
  
"Right!? Oh, the video tape. . ." This last was a mystery to Cid and Vincent, and would remain that way, even after the final tape of Gast's and Ifalna's life together.  
  
Confidential: Aeris 20 Days After Birth  
  
Gast was standing by the console again. Ifalna appeared from off- camera, approaching him. She said, "Video again? You just got through taping!"  
  
Gast replied plaintively, ". . . .Please don't say it that way. It's our lovely daughter, both yours. . . and mine! Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?"  
  
Ifalna planted her hands on her hips, and said, "If you keep doting on her like that, she won't grow up to be strong. . . Aeris is different from the other children." She paused, and said softly, "I wonder what dangers await her. . .?"  
  
Gast answered with a fair bit of nervous energy. "Never say that! I will protect you and Aeris no matter what!!" He reached forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You and Aeris are my only treasures. I'll never let you go!!"  
  
Ifalna nodded, and answered, "I feel so much better now, darling." She paused. "If I hadn't met you, I. . ."  
  
There was a knock on the door. As Ifalna went to answer it, Cid had a feeling in his gut that told him it wasn't someone she ought to let in. He silently pleaded for her to stop, stay with Gast, as the average moviegoer always does, but he knew what was going to happen. She opened the door, and cried out, running back to her husband, who placed himself between her and the men coming through the door. The man in the lead was a bespectacled, young-looking man with dark hair and a lab-coat. He was some years younger, but it was undeniably Hojo, and both Cid and Vincent recognized him immediately.  
  
Hojo snickered. "I've been searching for you, Ifalna. . . or should I say, Cetra! Long time no see, Professor Gast!"  
  
Incredulously, Gast said, "Hojo. . . How did you know?"  
  
The crazed biologist replied, "Believe me, I had to turn over a stone or two to find you. Two years I waited. . . That's how much I wanted this new sample. . ." He laughed coldly. Obviously confident that the guards would protect him, he turned away to look at all the little pieces of machinery in the room.  
  
Gast stared in disbelief. ". . .New sample? You don't mean Aeris!?"  
  
Distractedly, Hojo replied, "Hmm, Aeris? What a nice name. . ." He laughed again, sounding a bit like a squawking bird.  
  
Gast answered angrily, "That's it! I'm severing all ties with the Shinra." His head dropped dejectedly to his chest as he said, "Hojo, please leave."  
  
Ifalna ran forward and dropped to her knees behind Hojo. She pleaded, "Please, Aeris has nothing to do with it! All you want is me, right?" Hojo turned around to look at her, a little surprised. The guards had their rifles pointed at both her and Gast. He waved away the muzzle aimed at the Cetra. Gast cried out her name, an action which went completely unnoticed.  
  
The madman said simply, "I'll need all of you for my experiment." He turned from Ifalna to face her husband. "You understand don't you, Professor Gast? We can change the future of the Planet!"  
  
Gast knelt to look Ifalna in the eyes, and said, "Don't worry, Ifalna. I'll take care of this!"  
  
Hojo, sensing the man's intentions, said in an annoyed tone, "Please don't put up a fight. I don't want any harm to come to my precious sample." He turned to face the screen, and said, "Mmm? What a funny- looking camera. Guard! Destroy it!" One of the guards - the one who'd previously had his rifle pointed at Ifalna - raised his gun and fired a shot through the camera. The screen went dark. "Be careful with her!" He laughed again, this time in triumph. There was a thud, and Hojo's surprised response. "Wh. . . what are you doing, Professor!?"  
  
Gast's voice yelled, "Ifalna! Take Aeris and run!!" A moment later, there was a gunshot, and the Professor screamed in pain.  
  
Ifalna sobbed, "Darling. . .!!"  
  
Hojo could be heard breathing, even over Ifalna's crying. Then, he said, "Oh, and uh. . . don't forget the child!" Another moment, and he said, "Hmm, a video? The Ancients. . . Weapon!?" He sniggered crazily. "A mountain of treasure! Thank-you, Professor. . ." He laughed out loud, and the laughter was cut off as Cid and Vincent heard the outer door open and then close.  
  
After that, there was silence, although the tape kept right on running. There'd been no one around to stop it until it reached the end of its reel. But, Cid asked himself, then who'd stashed the videos down in that panel where he'd been poking around?  
  
Cid and Vincent exchanged glances, and Cid removed the last tape, taking a look at it. The label was different, somehow. He picked up the others, and laid them out on the table, side-by-side, examining them. The first three looked to be of a different brand or type. Then, the last one, which just looked old. Then, he looked again at the labels. Vincent, who was looking over his shoulder, said, "The hand is different."  
  
Cid grunted, and Vincent leaned around him, pointing at the handwriting on the fourth tape. "The hand is different from the others. Neater. I'll wager that one was the original. The other three are copies. Hojo took the originals, and left copies for people to find."  
  
The Captain shook his head, and replied, "He wou'n' wanna leave 'at fourth'n fer just anyone t'find. It was someone else."  
  
"Someone else. Who could possibly have the opportunity?"  
  
Cid didn't know, but he knew of someone who might. He looked around. "Th'hell's Nanaki with my &#^@*$ smokes?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Nanaki nosed in the door of the general store to see Cloud and Tifa at the counter. They were busy haggling with the shopowner. Nanaki guessed it would be a few minutes before they were done. He opted to look around while he waited.  
  
There was a display case full of weapons off to the side, which a young boy was trying to polish with a rag. The boy was trying, but he was too short to reach all the way up. He jumped up and down gamely, but the upper portions of the glass remained out of reach.  
  
Nanaki wandered over, and looked up at the youngster. The boy didn't notice him. He cleared his throat, and the boy still took no notice. Finally, he said, "Hey. Kid."  
  
The child looked around at this, and it took a moment for him to realize that the cat next to him was the only one looking at him. He stared for a moment, shook his head, and went back to jumping at the glass. Finally, Nanaki said, "Would you like some help?"  
  
The boy froze, his head slowly turning to look at him. The boy just stared for a moment. The feline said, "Yes, yes, I'm a talking cat. Why do you humans have so much trouble with this? You believe in the Lifestream, and in a greater race of beings who once ruled the Planet, but this causes heart palpitations. Geez. . ."  
  
"You. . . you're talking."  
  
Nanaki sighed, and hung his head. "Yes! I'm talking! Look at me talk! Woo! Talking cat! Now, it looks like you could use a little help getting those hard-to-reach areas. Would you, or would you not like some?"  
  
A pause. The boy nodded. Nanaki nodded back, and inched forward, his head, neck and shoulders as low to the ground as he could get them. The boy hesitated, then stepped up onto his back. Nanaki rose to his full height. "Whoa!" The kid giggled. As the youngster set to work, Nanaki tried to make conversation.  
  
"What's your name, kiddo?" he asked, testing out one of Cid's less repellant words. It felt strange on his tongue, but he liked it. Certainly, he could get used to it.  
  
"Bartleby, sir."  
  
"Sir," repeated Nanaki, and he chuckled. "Well, Bartleby, it's okay. You don't have to call me sir. I'm not really much older than yourself, physiologically. Just call me Red."  
  
"I'd rather not."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"My dad doesn't like me to socialize with strangers. He says any one of them could be dangerous."  
  
"But how are you supposed to make new friends?"  
  
No answer. Nanaki held as still as he could for a long time, staring at the floorboards, careful not to jostle the youth on top of him. Judging from what the boy's father - presumably the man at the counter - thought of strangers, breaking the glass by accident would be very bad indeed. After a couple of moments, he said, "Bartleby?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What can you tell me about this little town?"  
  
"There isn't much to tell, sir."  
  
"What about that little house next door?"  
  
"Oh, Professor Gast's house?"  
  
Surprised, Nanaki said, "Is that who lived there?"  
  
"Yeah, he and that nice lady, 'Falna."  
  
"I think that must have been before your time, Bartleby."  
  
"My uncle told me about them. How 'Falna and Gast were really nice people, and then Shinra came'n took them away to live somewhere else."  
  
Nanaki had no idea if this was true, but he said, "Your uncle was right. He must be a really smart man."  
  
A note of pride entered Bartleby's voice. "Yeah! He's the mayor of the whole town! Everyone thinks he's smart!"  
  
"What's his name, if I may ask?"  
  
"Morgan Deschain. Wanna meet him, later?"  
  
"Absolutely, Sir Bartleby! That'd be great!"  
  
Nanaki forgot all about Cid's cigarettes as he continued to converse with Bartleby about all manner of things. He was in the middle of telling the youngster all about Cosmo Canyon, having not even noticed Cloud and Tifa leaving, a few minutes previous, when things exploded outside.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Somewhere down the snowboarding slope, two Shinra guards stood, looking around frantically.  
  
"Captain, I think we've lost her!"  
  
"Shit. Vicks, get on the radio. Call in the reinforcements!"  
  
"Yessir!" replied Vicks, promptly doing so.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
The guards blockading the town's access to the outer reaches of the Northern Continent parted to allow the captain's "reinforcements" passage into Icicle Inn. An improved version of the Motor Ball which Cloud, Barret, Nanaki, Aeris, and Tifa had faced on the way out of Midgar rolled through, flanked by twelve SOLDIERs, First Class, on snowmobiles.  
  
Cloud and Tifa emerged from the store with armloads of snowboards and various weapons for everyone else. Tifa was wearing a new pair of gloves, each of which was adorned with three blades that jutted forward when she made a fist. They were so intent on their loot that neither noticed as they wandered directly in front of the Motor Ball Mk II.  
  
"There they are! Get them!" cried one of the SOLDIERs, gunning the engine on his snowmobile. Cloud and Tifa both looked up in surprise at this. Snow flew up behind him as he flew toward them, the others following. The Motor Ball Mk II stayed put, blocking the way back.  
  
Cloud grabbed Tifa's hand, dropping his armload of equipment. He kept two snowboards. Thrusting one into Tifa's hands, he said, "The slope! Now!" The pair slid in the snow as they made for the slope leading onto the glacier. They were too slow and too far, though. The 'mobiles easily overtook them.  
  
Three of the SOLDIERs blocked their path, while the rest stopped in a rough circle around the pair. Cloud skidded to a halt, grabbing Tifa's arm as he did so, and looked around frantically. There was no hole to take advantage of.  
  
A large SOLDIER hopped off of his snowmobile. There was a strange, flat sound coming from within his helmet, which Cloud only identified as laughter when the man removed it. His long, dark-brown (black?) hair spilled down over his shoulders, which shook with laughter. Finally, he calmed down, and, still chuckling, said, "Where d'you think you're going, eh? The glacier, perhaps? Hmm?" His broad frame finally stopped shaking, and he became quite serious. "Where are the rest, Strife?"  
  
Tifa leaned in close to Cloud, and said, "Do you know these guys?"  
  
Cloud shook his head, which the leader obviously took for denial. "Fine, then. Meguesses we'll just have to raze 'is podunk little tourist trap, then, right?"  
  
Cloud immediately said, "That won't be necessary. Uh, if you want to keep this clean, you'll have to answer a couple questions for me." Cloud touched a hand to his PHS, sending a signal to one of the receivers. He had no idea which one, and it didn't matter which at that precise moment.  
  
"Sorry, Strife. Not authorized, doncha know."  
  
"Is that so? Well, I'll bet your bosses would appreciate you not decimating a defenseless tourist community in the name of the Shinra." He smiled.  
  
The man's face darkened, causing a white scar to appear, previously unnoticed, along his jawline on the left side of his face. He narrowed his eyes, and said, "Methinks y'aren't in any position to bargain, my friend."  
  
Cloud grinned cheekily. "Maybe not, but that doesn't change the fact that Rufus can't really afford to have a squad of his own men destroy Icicle Inn. Now, are you ready to talk?" Cloud sized up the man before him, and thought he might actually be able to take him in armed combat. Too bad he had eleven of his pals along with him.  
  
The SOLDIER looked him up and down. Apparently deciding that a little talk might be okay (and very obviously unaware of the way the new President Shinra viewed things like diplomacy), he nodded, his jaw clenched. "Whatchu want?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Barret was a big man. No, scratch that, he was massive. Standing 6'4", and, at the age of thirty-five, a veteran drinker, he was not only large, but what Reno undoubtedly would have called a muscle-brain. Indeed, his arms, chest, legs, back, neck, and even head were thickly corded with pure muscle, lending quite a lot to his total body mass. Therefore, is it any real surprise that, although he'd been completely intoxicated only two hours previous, he was now partly recovered, albeit nursing one mad bastard of a headache?  
  
Barret clutched at his forehead, the pain incredibly intense. His eyes were clenched tight and he gritted his teeth. "Shi'. Hurts like a bitch. . ." He grunted, trying to use his gun-arm to keep the bright sunlight streaming through the inn's windows from reaching his reddened eyes. The room was fairly small, with three single-beds, which meant that any sunlight getting through that window would light up the entire room. If he could have he would have punched the sun in the face for being so inconsiderate as to shine when he was hung over.  
  
Asleep on another of the beds was Yuffie. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks and nose both bright red. She was muttering something about materia as she slept. It was clear to the enormous former miner that she'd been in the sauce herself. Cid was getting an ear-full for that one.  
  
He rubbed his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his hand, and then levered himself to his feet from the bed, where he'd been sitting. Swaying a tad, he almost sat down again. Then he didn't, instead opting to go to the minibar. Opening it, he scanned the contents. His eyes came to rest on a bottle with a bright blue label. Cetra Brand Rum. Somehow, this put him off the idea of drinking. He shut it again.  
  
He wandered back to the bed and lowered himself carefully back onto the rumpled blanket. He closed his eyes, hoping to go to sleep. Suddenly, his head felt like it was splitting open, as an electronic ringing filled the air. His eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets as he rolled out of the bed, hitting the floor hard and face first. Gasping in pain, he did a push-up, almost throwing himself to his feet, and staggered toward the window, where, of course, more pain was inflicted by sunlight.  
  
He shut his eyes with a growl, and grabbed blindly at the little table which sat there. On his second grab - the first was a lamp, which he crushed in his hand - he came up with his PHS receiver. Immediately, he flipped the switch on the side, and hollered into it, "THIS BETTER BE GOOD!" As he yelled, his eyes opened just a little, and he was able to see out the window. What he saw made him wonder if he wasn't still passed out in that damned bar.  
  
He heard, through the receiver, "Whatcha got there, eh?" The voice was unfamiliar. He watched as the man without the helmet strode toward Cloud, his gun aimed. . .  
  
Barret's eyes widened, and the pain, coupled with snow-glare, went totally unnoticed. His next impulse was one he didn't think about. He ran at the window, closing his eyes, and keeping his arms ahead of him. It shattered around him, delivering a number of cuts all over his arms, face and chest. Then there was no more floor to run on, and he dropped like a ton of bricks, sending up large plumes of powdery snow when he collided with the ground. Miraculously, he landed on his feet and hands, uninjured except for all the gouges the glass had left in his skin. Shaking the loose shards from him, he rose, and ran forward, shouting obscenities about the dark-haired man's mother and her relations with the local chocobos.  
  
Barret, though a large man, could be a fast runner when angry, not unlike a pissed-off grizzly bear. And he had just as much consideration for men, women, children, little old ladies, cute furry things, and walls. Luckily for him, it happened to be men. Men are not rooted to the ground, and, when smaller than Barret, as they normally are, they tend to become airborne upon impact. Three did so, bowling over the other nine.  
  
Cloud and Tifa had thrown themselves to the ground. Getting up, Cloud said, "Wow. That was unique." He looked about him at the scattered SOLDIERs. "I think we should round up the troops before the happy SOLDIER over there wakes up." He aimed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the dark-haired man, already getting to his feet. Then, Barret heard something. As did Cloud and Tifa.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Nanaki was just lowering Bartleby to the floor again when he heard a loud rumbling, like an engine revving. A big one. After a moment's pause, they both ran to one of the storefront windows.  
  
The shop owner, ostensibly Bartleby's father, continued to nap in his chair behind the counter as Nanakie pulled himself to his hind legs, bracing himself against the glass with his forepaws.  
  
Outside, he saw what looked a lot like the Motor Ball they'd fought when they'd escaped Midgar. This one, though, was different. Where the very prominant spiked wheels had been on the other one, there were now treads and runners. This one had been designed specifically for the snowy climate of the Northern Continent. Why in the Planet's name would they have something like it? They had helicopters to take them wherever in the world they needed to go.  
  
It was moving down into the town, directly toward the centermost house. On the other side of the small structure stood Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. Obviously very aware of the noise, they were typically unaware of the peril it implied. Nanaki ran for the door. He pawed at the knob, for a second, then looked to Bartleby for help. Bartleby looked at him for a moment, and then nodded. He ran to the door and opened it for him, saying, "Come back some time, Mr. Red!"  
  
Nanaki gave him a somewhat forced grin, and said, "Count on it." Then, he bolted out into the snow, making a beeline for the three AVALANCHE members. He barely noticed the dark-haired man whose face he shoved into the snow and whose head he kicked, so focussed was he on the others. He stopped gracefully before Cloud, and said, "We need to go! Now!"  
  
Cloud, nodding, said, "Just let us get the others. . ."  
  
That was when the adapted Motor Ball crashed over the small house which stood between it and them. Only a few yards away, the house toppled and was crushed beneath the vehicle's weight like a cardboard box.  
  
Barret muttered, "Shi'! Hope no one w's home!" even as he grabbed for one of the snowmobiles which stood in a rough circle around them. Tifa and Cloud grabbed their snowboards, and the four of them made for the slope and relative safety. Nanaki was the first onto the slope, followed by Cloud and Tifa, a board under each of them, and then Barret on snowmobile, who kept taking his eyes off the slope ahead to send a few volleys of gunfire at their pursuers.  
  
For their part, the SOLDIERs were already getting back on their snowmobiles and chasing with the Motor Ball close behind, roaring loudly as it picked up speed. As it half propelled itself, half slid down the slope, small rivulets of white powder began to slide after it.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
At the top of the slope, Sergeant Packer was stomping around in the snow, howling for AVALANCHE while shooting off his rifle at anyone unfortunate enough to come too close. He was angry and out of control. The two SOLDIERs who he'd kept back to guard the slope and make sure no one else escaped onto the glacier thought many times about putting a stop to it, in much the same manner a lazy man might think how he really should clean the attic. In other words, they followed orders and stood there.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cid and Vincent were back at the pub, sitting at a table across from Morgan, when Reeve hopped over. Cid looked at him, and asked, "Barret?"  
  
"I took him to the inn. Yuffie tired?"  
  
Cid gave a hoarse laugh. "Somethin' like that."  
  
Reeve then asked, "So what's this guy got to say that's so engrossing? You were talking to him earlier, so I assume there's something interesting."  
  
Vincent said, "Let's let the man talk, and we'll find out."  
  
Morgan, who'd been watching this exchange with some interest, said, with a little annoyance surfacing in his voice, "Okay. You wanted to know who made these videos, right?"  
  
"The copies, yeah," replied Cid. "Who th'hell put'em there? Wasn't Hojo, that's fer damn sure. Gast was pretty &#^@*$ dead t'be doin' things like that. 'Falna'n Aeris din' do it. Who's left? One o' the &#^@*$ guards?"  
  
Morgan grinned. "It wasn't me, if that's what you're thinking. I didn't even know about the damn videos. All I knew is Shinra went'n took Ifalna and her daughter. Later, though. . . that's a different story."  
  
Reeve said, "Why? What happened?"  
  
"One of those suited guys Shinra's got workin' for 'em came around not too long after. Stopped in here, asking about Ifalna's home. He looked pretty tired. Grey hair. Carried himself with a surprising amount of reluctance. I told 'im I didn't know anything. He sighed pretty loudly, and said that his boss was going to have the town destroyed if he couldn't get in there. Pretty &#^@*$ persuasive, if you ask me, pardon my language."  
  
Cid looked confused, "Why? What's wrong with it?" He looked at Reeve and Vincent, who were both looking at him strangely. "What?"  
  
Morgan took a breath. "Uh, right, anyway, this guy - called himself Meric - and I hustled over to Gast's house. I unlocked it for him. Up until then, I'd never actually been inside the place. I'd explain what I saw, but you two've already been there, right?"  
  
Cid nodded.  
  
Morgan nodded in return. "It took awhile for Meric to find what he was looking for. A bunch of videos kept on a computer. Meric obviously didn't trust Hojo, because he watched the videos, one after the other. By the end, he was grinding his teeth pretty loudly. I wasn't too happy, myself, even though I already knew what had happened. I asked him if he was supposed to get rid of the records. He told me that the first three he was to copy and bring back to Shinra. Then, yes, he was to destroy the entire computer. But, Meric being a trained technician as well as a Turk, had an idea."  
  
Vincent said, "I remember him. He made copies. He didn't care much for Shinra, Hojo in particular. I imagine that feeling only intensified when Hojo did what he did to me and. . . what he did to me. So he made copies, in the hopes that someone would someday be able to use it against Shinra."  
  
Morgan said, "Huh. Never thought it through to that extent, but that was basically the idea I got, too."  
  
"So this Meric guy's th'one who made th'tapes. Reeve," Cid said, turning to look at Cait Sith, "is Meric still 'round?"  
  
Reeve answered quietly, "Not so much. He's kind of dead."  
  
"&#^@. Had m'hopes up'n everything."  
  
Reeve added, "We've got to bring down Shinra."  
  
"I agree," said Vincent.  
  
"No, you don't understand. Not just because of what they've done to the Planet, or to you, or to anyone else. Because Meric meant for Shinra to go down. He left us proof of Hojo's deception of Shinra. If President Shinra - the father, not the son - had given the order to have Gast killed, I'm really Sephiroth in disguise. He was a money-grubbing asshole and a coward. He wasn't a murderer. He would have tried to either blackmail Gast or buy him off. With this evidence, we can cause even more problems within the ranks."  
  
Morgan said, "More? Does Shinra have a few problems?" A grin was spreading across his face.  
  
"You could say that. Just now I-"  
  
"Mayor Morgan! There're Shinra troops outside! They want something called AVALANCHE!" A small, pudgy man came running in. He was still covered in snow, and left a long, wet trail behind him as he jumped down the stairs.  
  
Morgan rose from his seat, and said, "Avalanche? Shit, what the hell would they want with an avalanche?"  
  
Cid got to his feet, saying, "Let us take care o' this, Morgan." He turned and headed for the stairs, followed by Reeve and Vincent.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
They were only moments getting outside, but things had gone bad very quickly. There was a dark-haired man in a SOLDIER uniform waving a gun around and screaming, "AVALAAAAAANCHE! Come out come out wherever you are!" There were already several people dead, marked by little puffs of steam from their hot blood melting the snow beneath their corpses. Seeing the carnage, Reeve bounded out toward him.  
  
The man turned the gun and pointed it at him. Reeve stopped in his tracks. The man said, "Y'sure weird enough. You one of the AVALANCHE blokes I was sent to nab?"  
  
The man was clearly angry and very clearly insane. Reeve suddenly realized what he'd done. Rufus knew about the Cait Sith body he'd been using, although this man - Reeve thought he recognized him; Parker or some name like that - seemed not to. If he acted against him, he'd take the news back to the President that a cat and a moogle had been among their number, and Rufus would have Reeve himself killed. That was one of the things that caused him to stop in his tracks. The other one was much more simple. This Cait Sith body had sensors that allowed him to feel everything as though he were actually there. Would he feel the bullets ripping into his body if Parker shot him? Would it feel as though he himself had been on the receiving end?  
  
Cid yelled, "S'right, pal! AVALANCHE's 'ere t'rectify y'&#^@*$ ass!" With that, he lifted his spear and charged at the lunatic SOLDIER, point upraised. He didn't have a chance.  
  
The SOLDIER - Packer. His name's Packer. - changed his aim slightly, to point it at the charging Captain. Reeve took the opportunity to leap forward and grab the rifle from Packer's hands with one of the moogle's enormous fists. At the same time, he spun around to slam him in the face with the other.  
  
Two other SOLDIERs, the pair guarding the slopes, looked at each other, and ran forward to neutralize the strange creature who'd downed their leader. When they were almost on him, Reeve dropped the gun, and rounded on them, cold-cocking both with a two-fisted smash. They fell limply to the ground.  
  
He looked about him. Cid and Vincent were both frantically scanning the crowds. Where were the others? They weren't anywhere around, and they certainly couldn't have missed the kind of commotion that had just taken place. Then, a little boy ran up to Vincent and tugged on his cape. Vincent turned to regard the youngster with expressionless eyes. The boy said, "You looking for Mr. Red?"  
  
"Yes, have you seen him?" replied the ex-Turk in a surprisingly gentle tone.  
  
"A big monster chased him and some people down the hill, sir!" The boy pointed at the slope which led down onto the glacier.  
  
Cid grunted, and said, "Let's go!" He turned and sprinted for the slope. At the very top, forming a barricade of sorts, were a pair of white snowmobiles with the word Shinra emblazoned across the sides in black lettering. Reeve bounced up beside him and looked down the slope. Way off in the distance, a white cloud of. . . something. . . could be seen. He disengaged the moogle from the cat, allowing the moogle to slump forward, falling onto its belly on the slope. Operating only the cat, now, he grabbed the ears, and started sliding down after his friends.  
  
Cid hopped onto the snowmobile, waiting a moment for Vincent to sit down on the seat behind him, and then, revving the engine, took off down the slope.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cid squinted through the small windshield the snowmobile provided, watching the path ahead as he rounded curve after curve with a pilot's instincts. It surprised him a little that Reeve was able to do the same on that furry body of his, but he decided that it really didn't matter.  
  
It was less than a minute before he rounded one last curve and was confronted with the source of all of that snow which had been flying up ahead of them. It was an enormous machine of some type. A little like a tank, it was propelled along on snow-runners by two treads. He grinned. Too heavy to simply slide, it had to be pushed along. Clumsy, too. It was obviously designed for ground combat. The treads and runners must have been added later. Guess we're special, he thought. Then, he realized what it was. It was one of Shinra's Motor Balls. They were tough bastards, but they also had one glaring flaw. . .  
  
It was being followed by a fair amount of powdery snow. It wasn't a full-fledged avalanche, just yet, but it would be soon. He couldn't risk getting too close. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reeve swerve to the left, and then somehow speed up to squeeze by the enormous thing against the snowbank it was creating. The snow enveloped him.  
  
He slowed the snowmobile, and then stopped it. The tank began to disappear from view again. Vincent asked, "Cid, what are you doing? It's getting away!"  
  
"No it ain't. Get up front, Vince. Yer gonna hafta steer this &#^@*$ thing. Y'reflexes any good?"  
  
Vincent nodded. "Hojo made sure of that." His tone carried a fair amount of bitterness, but Cid had no time to pursue it. Later.  
  
Cid dismounted, allowing the ex-Turk to slide forward. Then, he placed his spear in its harness on his back, making sure it was secured tightly. If it caught on something when he jumped. . .  
  
"Could you please explain what we're doing?"  
  
"Yeah. I c'n stop that &#^@*$ thing in its tracks. Its nav circuit's right under some &#^@*$ panel on top. Just get up 'nough speed to toss this baby, then jump up top with me. Now go!"  
  
Vincent hit the accelerator. They were off again, chasing the Motor Ball, which was already just a speck in the distance.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Neither Tifa nor Cloud had had the time to fasten themselves to their boards. While both were very agile and sharp, neither had the slightest clue how to use a snowboard, and so it wasn't long before Tifa lost her balance and toppled sideways. . . directly into Barret's free arm. He quickly hauled her aboard his snowmobile with his gun-arm, while trying to maintain a straight course with the other. Regaining her equilibrium, Tifa helped to pull herself onto the seat in front of him. Satisfied that she was relatively safe, Barret twisted around to aim his gun-arm at the pursuing hulk once more  
  
The Motor Ball had begun to close the distance between them and Cait Sith was farther back, doing a number on the SOLDIERs who'd chased them. Three of them had been tossed, that he'd seen, and there was something crushed into the tread of the enormous machine. Barret hoped it was only a snowmobile. He tried to aim where Cait wasn't, but it was no good. There were no more clear shots at the Motor Ball, between Cait's bulk and Nanaki's erratic galloping. The cat was really working hard to keep ahead of the war machine, legs pumping madly. He was just barely matching its speed, hurdling down the slope. If he were to trip, he'd be very lucky not to kill himself. Barret finally leaned forward and yelled in Tifa's ear, "Bring th'damn thing back t'where we c'n help Cait'n Red!"  
  
Tifa nodded, slowing them just enough to reach the motorized scrap which was going on. Seven of the SOLDIERs were still in hot pursuit, swarming around Cait and Nanaki like large flies. The group around Nanaki was where Tifa took the snowmobile. Four SOLDIERs were taking stabs at the feline with their swords, and Nanaki was bleeding from about a dozen different wounds. Barret roared as they came in range, and took a swing at the nearest with his gun-arm. There was an audible clank as the man yelled, toppling from his ride, which swerved and tipped. The man directly behind him collided with it, and his also flipped. They both fell to the side, rolling past the Motor Ball, which continued its terrible plunge along the slope. Then, the nature of its rumbling changed, and the remaining SOLDIERs cut off their chase, moving to the sides, and allowing the behemoth to pass them.  
  
Barret made the sudden realization that the Motor Ball had now closed the distance between them to less than a metre, and instinctively leaned back, bringing his feet up to the seat, and pushing with his legs. He braced his back against the cold metal of the tank, and heaved, trying to keep them from being overrun by it. To his left, Cait Sith continued to race forward, Reeve single-minded in his determination to avoid being trampled. The cat was lying down flat on top of the moogle to reduce wind resistance, and this tactic was just barely keeping him ahead of it. To his right, Nanaki was beginning to stumble. Ahead, Cloud was somehow managing to gain momentum on his snowboard, racing far ahead, and very much out of range of the flames which then erupted from some well-concealed barrels on the upper front of the machine, shooting out about twenty feet ahead, and barely missing the four AVALANCHE members who were all but hugging the Motor Ball's front.  
  
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Cid felt a little unease at the sight of several SOLDIERs falling back but said nothing about it as Vincent put his plan into practice. The amount of snow which had gathered behind the Motor Ball prevented them from getting too close, but they were close enough when Vincent suddenly turned the snowmobile hard to the left and jumped at the back of the combat vehicle, punching his claws directly into the metal to maintain his hold. Cid, however, was prevented from making the jump by his spear, which caught on the side of the seat. Swearing loudly, he aborted the attempt, instead turning his attention toward not falling off and breaking his neck while keeping the snowmobile upright.  
  
He leaned hard to his left, wrenching on the handlebars to try and straighten the vehicle's descent. The snowmobile began to tip as the right runner dug into the snow. He cut the engine and continued throwing his weight to the left. The Motor Ball began to disappear once more into the distance, followed by a small avalanche as his ride slowed to a stop, left side still up in the air. It stopped, and there was a moment when it just stood there, rocking. Then, it rolled over on him. He grunted in pain as its full weight landed on him, driving the air from his lungs. He was saved from having his ribs broken by his own presence of mind. As the vehicle rolled, he used his legs to roll it right over him before it could settle. It slid a few feet down the slope, and then came to rest. As did the Captain.  
  
He lay there in the snow, alternately trying to catch his breath and swearing. He listened to the diminishing revving of the Motor Ball as it sped away.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Elena awoke some way down the slope from where the guards stopped searching. Her head throbbed as she yanked herself to her feet. She was wet. And cold. And pissed-off. Grumbling, rubbing her head, she brushed the snow from her suit with her bare hands. She immediately wished she hadn't. A chilly breeze caught them before she could stuff them into a sodden pocket and caused them to hurt like hell. She grunted with the pain, tears springing to her eyes.  
  
None of this was supposed to happen. She was a Turk. Turks didn't end up alone on mountainsides, wet and cold. In frustration, she drew her pistol and fired it into the trunk of a nearby tree. Only a sapling, it burst apart, leaving a small splintery stump in its place. When Cloud and his cohorts came down this way to the Great Glacier, as she knew they would, she sincerely hoped someone impaled themself on it.  
  
She shook her head and reached into her coat to pull out her cell phone. Standard-issue, every Turk got one. The Turk who actually needed to use it in an emergency was a shameful one, though. She considered this, and, cursing, put it back. She'd have to do this the hard way.  
  
A scowl painting her face, the rookie Turk began to slowly make her way up the slope toward Icicle Inn.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Cloud was still far ahead of the Motor Ball. He could hear it behind him, but he didn't turn around to look. It took all of his concentration to keep from falling and breaking his neck. Arms out to the sides, he watched the slope at his feet, and so he didn't even see Elena until he collided with her.  
  
Normally, had he done this, they would have both fallen over, possibly with broken faces, and been run over by the pursuing machine. However, due to Cloud's lack of experience on a snowboard, his balance wasn't very good and he was prone to dipping low to maintain his upright position. It was during one of these dips that he slid into her. His shoulder planted itself in her stomach, eliciting a "whoof!" as the wind was knocked right out of her, and she went limp over his back. Her hip was driven into his face, both obscuring his view and breaking his nose. He managed to maintain his footing, but, with no clear idea of which direction he was heading in - aside from the obvious, down - he was boarding blind.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Vincent's claw punctured the tough metal of the Motor Ball, and he clenched it tightly as he reached about with his other hand to find a hold. The points on the ends of his boots scored the surface as they created their own leverage. He waited for Cid to land next to him, but when a few moments went by and he didn't he turned to look back, his black hair whipping to and fro across his vision. The snowmobile had overturned, and the Captain was wrestling with it. Then, the man was gone from view, and Vincent turned back to the task which had now fallen to him. Somewhere on top of this behemoth was a panel, beneath which lay the navigational circuit.  
  
He pulled hard with his claw, dragging himself up a little, digging in with his feet. Then, he reached as high as he could with his other arm, and grasped the edge. He pulled himself up onto the flat surface on top, and paused for a moment, looking down at Cloud, far ahead. He was weaving erratically back and forth, trying to hold on to someone who was draped over his shoulder. It appeared to be the female Turk he'd accidentally sent tumbling down the slope earlier. Barely a moment later, they swerved clear across the path, and hit a snowbank on the side. The ramp should have caused them to fall over and stop. Instead, their very speed sent them up and over. Vincent saw the two fly through the air, and disappear from view. Wishing them godspeed, he made his way forward on all fours toward the middle of the machine's roof. Then, he began to tear at the steel panelling with his claw. Pieces of metal tore away as though it was paper, whipped away by the wind and the Motor Ball's jostling on the slippery slope.  
  
Every sheet of metal he tore away revealed a tangle of wires or circuit board. He tore them all out, not knowing just which was supposed to be for the navigational system. Once, as he tore a knot of cords, the flamethrower cut out, and he guessed he'd cut its power. The machine itself, though, remained steadily moving forward. He finally just climbed to the front and punctured the panelling at the corner. Then, he began to slowly pull backwards, leaving deep gouges in the metal. Every now and then his prosthesis would jump and freeze for a moment as he cut through a major power conduit. After a brief pause, when he could move it again, he would continue on. He was only about a foot from the rear edge when something finally happened. The entire bulk of the thing shuddered, nearly knocking him off, and the horizon began to change from a clear view of the Glacier below to the trees whizzing by on the left. Vincent hung on as, to combat this loss of control, the drivers tried to bring the Motor Ball to a halt.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Barret strained hard to keep a space between them and the Motor Ball. His feet planted against the seat of the snowmobile, he was still pushing against the front of the machine, and he was beginning to tire. A few moments previous, Nanaki beside them had finally passed out, stumbling and rolling far to the right. It looked like the Motor Ball's treads had missed crushing him. He hoped so. Reeve, on the other hand, had adopted an interesting approach to the problem. Both the cat and the cave moogle were clinging to the front of the machine, attempting to climb up top and find the personnel hatch.  
  
Tifa was doing her best to keep the snowmobile from swerving, but, even so, it was difficult for Barret to keep his balance. When the machine shuddered, he lost his hand-holds on the front of it, and fell down between it and the snowmobile at a very high speed. Luckily for him, the Motor Ball began to slow, even as a corner swung toward him. This gave him enough time to hit the ground. His momentum caused him to bounce, and as a pale-faced Tifa tried to slow down and catch him, he hit the snowmobile with his full weight, back-first. Then, he tipped back and slammed into Tifa, causing them both to sail onto the slope, which was now too steep to allow them to just stop. Barret went into a roll, with Tifa instinctively wrapped in his arms. He did his best to create a protective ball around her, shielding her from the snowy ground, even as a loud, plaintive grinding sound came from the pursuing vehicle. They continued to roll downhill and didn't stop until they hit the Glacier.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Vincent hung on for dear life as the side of the Motor Ball's treads caught in the snow and it tipped up into the air. The tip became a flip, and then he was treated to a spiralling view of trees and snow and sky. He opted to stare at the surface of the vehicle. He was pleased to find that, to his eyes, it remained relatively immobile.  
  
Weight kept shifting, and he was tossed from side to side by the immense speed of the machine's tumble, with only his prosthetic arm keeping him from being thrown off, perchance to break his neck. He closed his eyes and waited for it to be over. He waited and waited. The jolting began to seem endless.  
  
Then, suddenly, it was gone. There was just the sound of rushing air. He opened his eyes, and looked about, using his free arm to shove his fluttering cape out of his vision. There was nothing but sky, all around him. Already knowing what he would see, he turned himself while maintaining his hold with his claw. He looked straight up. Snow. The snowy ground, falling away. Then, even as he watched, it stopped receding, and began to approach once more, at a rapid pace. The Motor Ball had left the ground and become airborne. Now, it was falling again, upside down. He would be crushed if he stayed where he was.  
  
Pushing off with his legs, he let go.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
When Cid finally rose to his feet, shivering and wishing for a smoke, the Motor Ball was gone from sight. He knew it, and his friends, were probably on the Glacier by now. He also knew he couldn't leave them down there. So, with a slight limp, he walked down to where the snowmobile lay on its side.  
  
With a grunt, he lifted it upright. He proceeded to give it a quick look-over to make sure it would run properly. Aside from being covered in snow, he found nothing wrong with it. So he swung his leg over, taking a moment to make himself comfortable. As comfortable as a cigaretteless smoker could be with his ass wet. He pulled his flight goggles down to cover his eyes, and revved the engine. Not hearing anything overly wrong, he let out a loud whoop and set off down the hill.  
  
It was a little anti-climactic, as he stopped only a few metres down from his starting point when something caught his attention over next to the right bank. A strange hump of snow, and it appeared to be shaking a little. He stopped and dismounted carefully. After a moment's hesitation, he drew his spear and stepped toward it, the point aimed in its general direction. Finally, he said, "C'mon out, 'ever y'are."  
  
No answer. The hump of snow just continued to shake.  
  
Cid watched it for another moment then turned his spear and prodded the form with the butt. It moved slightly, but only slightly. Cid finally came to the conclusion that it was some injured SOLDIER. He thought about killing the man and moving on, but knew he couldn't do something like that. After all, even a SOLDIER was human. Cloud was living proof of this. Sighing, he stuck the spear back in its harness, and crouched beside the lump. He began to clear the snow off of it and as the white was removed to reveal reddish-orange fur his breath caught. He brushed the rest away hastily.  
  
There lay Nanaki, looking at him. The feline had more than a dozen different cuts on this side alone and his fur was full of dried blood. The cat was panting heavily. Cid swore. "What the hell'd they &#^@*$ do t'ya!?"  
  
Nanaki only mumbled something incoherent in response.  
  
As gently as he could, Cid slid his arms under the injured cat, and lifted him up. Then, he carefully made his way back to the snowmobile. One of his booted feet slipped once, causing him to nearly go sliding down the slope. He dug his other foot in hard and opted to do the splits. It hurt like hell, and he let anyone within earshot know it.  
  
When he reached the vehicle, he carefully placed Nanaki on the seat at the front, making sure his legs and tail were going to stay on the snowmobile. Then, he sat behind him and reached across to the handlebars. It would be awkward, but there wasn't much else he could do. He'd lost their only Cure materia back in the Forgotten Capital, so he couldn't just heal Nanaki. Shaking his head, he started the engine again, and turned around to head back up the slope.  
  
After about a minute in this direction, he swore loudly and put on the brakes. The snowmobile stopped and slid backward a couple feet before finally coming to rest. Cid realized that he couldn't take Nanaki back to Icicle Inn for medical attention. There were probably Shinra reinforcements on their way, after the ruckus that had been caused. Knowing Rufus, the entire town was liable to be put under watch. It was out of the question.  
  
There was only one choice left open to him, it seemed. Take him down onto the Great Glacier. Maybe one of the others had some kind of healing thing on them. A Potion, or something. They'd have to.  
  
He gunned the engine, and maneuvred them so that they were facing downward again. "C'mon, 'Naki. Cid'll getcha some 'elp!" Then, he set off down the slope at a dangerous speed. For the Captain, of course, this was perfect.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********************  
  
Well, this was markedly departed from the same point in the game, but I thought this would be a great time for just a tiny bit of character stuff. You know, Barret acting like a dork. Cloud'n Tifa somewhat making up. Some fun with Reeve. That kinda stuff.  
  
Anyway, the next part's probably going to take just as long or longer to get done and uploaded, so, if you're really interested, check back every now and then. Writer's Block's a bitch.  
  
Blah. Contact stuff: Me - veilsixclaw.signmyguestbook.com; deschain5@hotmail.com.  
  
Ree - chaos_vincent21@hotmail.com 


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